Electric cooperatives like Haywood EMC are different from investor-owned utilities because the people who use the service also own it. Every member has a say in the cooperative’s future through democratic member control. No matter how much electricity a member uses, their vote helps guide the cooperative by choosing board members.
The cooperative model became popular in the 1930s, when many rural areas in America still did not have electricity. While cities and bigger towns were getting power, large private electric companies often saw serving rural areas as too costly, especially in Western North Carolina.
After the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided funding for rural electric systems, people across the country formed cooperatives, built power lines, and changed daily life for millions of rural Americans. Electricity improved homes, farms, schools, and businesses, helping rural communities grow. In Western North Carolina, this change began in 1938, when neighbors in the Cruso community of Haywood County joined together to start what would become Haywood EMC.
Today, Haywood EMC still stands for the values it was built on: local control, member ownership, and democratic decision-making. Every annual meeting, board election, and member vote shows the same spirit of civic involvement that has shaped American democracy for 250 years.
By serving their own communities instead of outside shareholders, electric cooperatives show how Americans can work together to meet local needs and build a better future.