Methods of voting by members of a cooperative

What it does

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Current law specifies the means for governance of a cooperative organized in this state. Currently, a member of a cooperative who is entitled to vote on a motion may vote only by attending the meeting at which a vote is held, unless one of the following applies: (1) the cooperative provides members with ballots for the vote on the motion with the notice of the meeting at which the vote will be taken, together with exact copies of the motion and any resolution to which the motion pertains, or (2) the cooperative makes ballots and copies of the motion and resolution available to members for the vote on the motion.

The bill authorizes a cooperative to permit electronic voting on a motion if the cooperative permits absent members to vote on the motion as permitted under current law, if the bylaws provide for electronic voting, if the cooperative is able to authenticate that it is a member who is casting a vote, and if the cooperative gives an electronic vote the same effect as a vote by an absent member under current law.

Who's behind it

3 senators are its authors⁠. All 3 are Democrats.

7 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.