La Plata Electric Association’s (LPEA) independent election supervisory committee has qualified candidates for the cooperative’s 2025 board of directors election.
LPEA has four director districts, established geographically, and LPEA’s membership elects four representatives to the LPEA Board of Directors, one from each district.
Qualified candidates for the 2025 director elections are as follows:
• District 1, Archuleta County: Dusty Mars and Holly Metzler.
• District 2, south and west La Plata County: Greg Barber, Brad Blake and Terry Greiner.
• District 3, city of Durango: David Peters and Joe Lewandowski.
• District 4, north and east La Plata County: Lyle McKnight and John Witchel.
Expanded voting options now available
LPEA is excited to announce the introduction of online voting for the 2025 board election.
Paper ballots will still be mailed, and members will have the choice of how they’d like to cast their vote.
Even if a member has opted out of receiving a paper ballot this year, per state statute, they will still receive the notice of the annual meeting by mail.
How to vote
Starting April 21 at 8 a.m., eligible voters will have multiple ways to cast their ballots:
• Online via SmartHub: Log in to your secure SmartHub account (where members pay their bills online). A “Vote Now” button will appear for eligible voters, allowing members to access the secure voting portal. Follow the instructions to complete and submit your electronic ballot. Once submitted, the “Vote Now” button will disappear.
• Email notification: Eligible members will receive an email containing a direct link to SmartHub to complete their ballot online when voting opens.
• Mail-in ballots: Paper ballots will be mailed to eligible LPEA members in mid-April. Members can complete and return their ballots by mail or by 24-hour drop box at either LPEA office. LPEA ballots can no longer be dropped at La Plata County or Archuleta County ballot boxes and must be received only at LPEA drop boxes at 45 Stewart St. in Durango or 603 S. 8th St. in Pagosa Springs.
• In-person voting: Members are also invited to vote in person at the annual meeting.
The new online voting procedure prevents the possibility of duplicate votes and provides safeguards for an accurate vote count.
To be counted, online ballots must be submitted by noon on May 20, and paper ballots must be received by 4 p.m. on May 20. Election results will be confirmed at LPEA’s annual meeting on May 21 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the truck barn at the LPEA Durango Office. For more information on LPEA’s annual meeting and to RSVP, go to https://lpea.coop/annual-meeting.
For more information about the 2025 director election, voting procedures and candidate statements, visit lpea.coop.
