Members of the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), including electric customers in Andover, are receiving ballots by mail as voting opens for four seats on the company’s Board of Directors.

Members have until Wednesday, June 5, at 4:30 PM to return their completed ballots to NHEC headquarters in Plymouth. A postage-paid return envelope is included in the ballot mailing. Winners of the Board election will be announced at the 74th Annual Meeting of Members, to be held June 11, 2013 at Prospect Hall on the campus of Plymouth State University.

Five candidates are seeking election this year for the four remaining seats on the Co-op’s 11-member Board of Directors. All five candidates were nominated by the NHEC Nominating Committee, which reviews the qualifications of each candidate and recommends those it feels would best contribute to the successful operation of the Cooperative. All candidates are required to be members of the Cooperative.

This year’s candidates, selected by the Nominating Committee, include incumbent Board members Earl Hansen of Holderness, Jerry Hopkins of Moultonborough, Joseph Kwasnik of Jackson, and Georgie Thomas of Intervale. Also nominated was Gerard Maughan of Tuftonboro, who has not previously served on the NHEC Board of Directors. NHEC members are receiving statements from the candidates in support of their candidacies along with a ballot.

Ballot counting will take place Thursday, June 6 at Co-op headquarters in Plymouth. Newly-elected Board members will be seated immediately following the Annual Meeting on June 11 and will serve three-year terms.

NHEC is a democratically controlled, not-for-profit electric distribution company serving 83,000 homes and businesses in 115 New Hampshire communities.