Leander City Council splits votes for Pedernales board of directors election

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect new information from Pedernales Electric Cooperative about the number of candidates allotted to the city of Leander.

Updated June 10

A representative from Pedernales Electric Cooperative said information provided to the city of Leander about the voting process did not accurately reflect PEC's bylaws, which state each member only has one vote. PEC is working with the city on next steps, the representative said.

Posted June 9

The Leander City Council voted June 4 to split its two votes between Elexis Grimes and Carlos St. James, the two candidates running for an open District 2 seat on the Pedernales Electric Cooperative board of directors.

The City Council had the options to cast both votes for one candidate, split its votes between the two candidates or abstain.

What residents should know

Voting for the PEC board began May 19 and will close at 5 p.m. June 12. Results will be released June 16. Leander is located in District 2, which also includes parts of Cedar Park and Liberty Hill.

PEC is offering voters the chance to win bill credits of $75, $100 and $400 through drawings, according to a May 19 news release. Residents in Districts 2 and 3—where board elections are being held—can vote online, at a PEC office or through a mail-in ballot.

Directors serve for three-year terms and must reside within their district while running for election.

The vote

The city of Leander has two votes since it holds two PEC accounts—one for utilities at city facilities and another for streetlights.

“I recommend as a nonpartisan board of the city and thus representing all of Leander that we split the vote since we have two votes and we have two candidates on the ballot,” Mayor Na’Cole Thompson said.