With deep experience serving cooperatives, the two organizations are working together to simplify elections and provide dependable, end-to-end support.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN / ACCESS Newswire / May 21, 2026 / Survey & Ballot Systems and Pioneer Utility Resources are partnering to deliver secure online, paper, and hybrid utility voting options that are also supported by strategic marketing content.
The partnership brings together SBS’s three decades of election management expertise with Pioneer’s deep experience in utility communications, marketing services, and member engagement. One immediate benefit for utility cooperatives is that all SBS election services include ready-to-use social media posts with their logo and brand colors at no additional cost. The content is designed to promote election awareness and remind members to vote, and can be part of a larger communication campaign designed by Pioneer.
“We’re excited to partner with Pioneer Utility Resources, a team that truly understands utility cooperatives and the members they serve,” said Pete Westerhaus, CEO of SBS. “Pioneer’s communication expertise pairs perfectly with our focus on secure, transparent elections. Together, we’re simplifying the election process, strengthening engagement, and helping cooperatives inspire more members to take part in their democratic future.”
A key cooperative principle is cooperation. The partnership reflects this principle, with both organizations committed to making elections easier for their shared members and clients by addressing two critical needs for cooperative governance: secure, well-run elections and communication that supports active member engagement.
“This partnership gives utilities the tools they need to run effective elections and keep members meaningfully involved,” said Pioneer CEO Michael Shepard. “SBS brings deep experience in managing elections, and when coupled with our focus on strategic storytelling and member engagement, cooperatives gain a seamless path from governance to communication. In fact, SBS will be managing Pioneer’s board elections and announcing the results at our virtual annual meeting later this year.”
For more information on cooperative elections, visit pioneer.coop and surveyandballotsystems.com/who-we-serve/cooperatives/.
About Survey & Ballot Systems
Since 1990, Survey & Ballot Systems has set the standard in election management, working with the world’s top member-based organizations to facilitate and manage their voting and governance needs.
By providing traditional paper ballot elections, online voting solutions, hybrid voting systems, live virtual voting software, digital nominations, and survey solutions, SBS stands as the trusted third-party election partner for over 900 organizations, including over 330 cooperatives. Learn more at surveyandballotsystems.com.
About Pioneer Utility Resources
Pioneer is a not-for-profit communications and marketing cooperative based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Formed in 1956, it provides agency-style communications services to consumer-owned utilities and affiliated organizations in 46 states. The cooperative provides broadband marketing, social media engagement, responsive website design and hosting, podcast production, custom communications services, and several magazine brands reaching more than 1.5 million U.S. utility households.
Pioneer also owns Efficiency Services Group, which specializes in energy-efficiency program support and installation services primarily in the West, and NewsData, which publishes industry-leading, independent newsletters covering the utility sector in California and the Pacific Northwest. Pioneer is also the largest shareholder in General Pacific, a Fairview, Oregon-based electric supply company.
Learn more at pioneer.coop
Partnership Media Contacts
Sarah Lancaster
Pioneer Utility Resources
[email protected]
Hannah Seeley
Survey & Ballot Systems
[email protected]
SOURCE: SBS
