35-19-309. Voting districts. (1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the bylaws may provide that the territory or geographic area in which a buying cooperative operates to serve its members, or a class or classes of members, must be divided into two or more voting districts and that in respect to each voting district:
     (a) the members or the members of a membership class or classes residing in the voting district shall elect a designated number of trustees;
     (b) the members or the members of a membership class or classes residing in the voting district shall elect a designated number of delegates; or
     (c) the members or the members of a membership class or classes shall elect both trustees and delegates.
     (2) This section does not restrict or prohibit a buying cooperative from using a combination of voting districts based on members or classes of members with a territory or geographical area or voting districts at large based on members or classes of members using one or more kinds of services or products provided by the buying cooperative.
     (3) The bylaws must prescribe the manner in which the voting districts and the members or membership classes of those voting districts and the delegates and trustees, if any, elected from those voting districts shall function and the powers of the delegates, which may include the power to elect trustees and adopt, amend, or repeal the bylaws of a buying cooperative as provided in this chapter.
     (4) A member at a voting district meeting and a delegate at a meeting may not vote by proxy or by mail.

     History: En. Sec. 20, Ch. 575, L. 1999.