CEO Message — October 2018

Headshot of Clay FitchThe future is in your hands. For months, Wells Rural Electric Company (WREC) has worked with a large and growing coalition that has been providing information about Ballot Question 3. We have been diligently urging everyone we encounter to vote “NO”. This massive education effort seems to be working. You may remember that Question 3 passed in 2016 with 72% in favor and 28% opposed. A recent poll by the Reno Gazette Journal (RGJ) found that 51% of likely voters now oppose Question 3. However, the only poll that really matters is the election that ends November 6.

While 51% now opposed gives me hope that your electric cooperative will still be able to deliver safe, reliable, clean and affordable electricity after this election, the margin of error for the poll is 4.4%. Statistically, this election could easily go either way. From a practical perspective, it means that the passage or failure of Question 3 will be determined by who actually votes. Your vote will make a difference.

You can check if you are registered to vote on the website for the Nevada Secretary of State. If you are not registered to vote, please consider registering at the Registering To Vote page on the Nevada Secretary of State website. Online registration is available through October 18. You can also register by mail and at some state agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, through October 9. Registrations can be completed at the County Clerk’s Office until October 16.

Early voting opens Saturday, October 20 and ends Friday, November 2. Election Day is Tuesday, November 6. Vote at your convenience, but please vote!

The RGJ poll also found that about 16% of voters were unsure about how to vote. If you are undecided, I again urge you to vote NO.

The article “Question 3 Threatens Rural Nevada” contains a partial list of organizations opposed to Question 3. A full list of organizations, local governments and individuals urging everyone to vote NO on Question 3 can be found on NOon3.com. While some of these organizations often take very different positions on other issues, they all agree that Question 3 will be bad for their members.“Question 3 Threatens Rural Nevada” provides some compelling reasons why each of us should vote NO on Question 3.

The mayors who serve our communities in Nevada have heard the arguments both for and against Question 3 in several forums. Most notably, both sides of Question 3 have been presented three times at the Nevada League of Cities. Messages from the mayors of Carlin, West Wendover and Wells are in the article “Local Leaders Say No on 3”.

AARP has 342,000 members in Nevada. A letter urging AARP members and all citizens of Nevada to vote NO appears on page 25.

A letter outlining why the Nevada Mining Association is opposed to Question 3 has been printed in “Nevada Mining Association Testimonial Regarding Question 3. The positions of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and the Nevada Farm Bureau appear in “Nevada Cattlemen’s Association And Nevada Farm Bureau Testimonials Regarding Question 3”.

These organizations, and numerous others, have been instrumental in spreading the word about the damage Question 3 could cause.

Please help us ensure that all WREC members understand Question 3 and are registered to vote by talking with your friends and neighbors, putting up yard signs, wearing buttons or by putting a bumper magnet on your car. Pick these items up at your local office or click the “request a yard sign” button on www.wrec.coop.

Vote to keep electricity safe, reliable, clean and affordable by voting NO on Question 3.

Clay R. Fitch
Chief Executive Officer