ACRE is the political action committee (PAC) for America's electric cooperatives
This PAC pools contributions from cooperative trustees, employees and members from across the nation to support political candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate who will speak for and protect the interests of electric cooperatives.
We’re a grassroots PAC with over 30,000 members but we’re not a large dollar, or deep pocket, PAC. Our average contribution is just $56.
The national ACRE committee meets weekly at NRECA’s headquarters to discuss which candidates to contribute to. They base their recommendations on their alignment to co-op values and important issues.
Once the committee selects a candidate to support, the committee then contacts the statewide cooperative association for their approval. No money is contributed to any candidate without first talking to the statewide associations.
The law allows individuals with common interests to pool their resources using PACs in order to make political contributions to candidates for state and federal office. Currently 33,000 like-minded supporters of the electric cooperative program combine their contributions through ACRE. Candidates who receive a substantial contribution from ACRE get an important message about your interest in your local community’s electric cooperative. The candidate knows that the electric cooperative consumer-owners and employees who supported them want to elect individuals to office who will make good policy decisions on their behalf.
All contributions to ACRE go directly to federal candidate campaigns that support electric cooperatives. Additionally, 50% of your contribution is returned to your state to support candidates for state office.
No. The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that all political contributions, such as those to Co-op Owners for Political Action, are not tax deductible.
Contributions to the NRECA Action Committee for Rural Electrification® (ACRE®) are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. Contributions to ACRE are voluntary and will be used for political purposes. You have the right to refuse to contribute without reprisal. Federal law prohibits contributions from foreign nationals who lack permanent resident status. Any contribution guidelines presented are merely suggestions. You are free to contribute more or less than the suggested amounts, or not at all. NRECA will not favor or disadvantage anyone by reason of the amount contributed or a decision not to contribute.
The most important benefit that you receive as a COPA member is a voice in helping elect state and federal officials that will support your cooperative and your community. In addition, you will receive quarterly issues of the ACRE® Action newsletter, which includes legislative alerts, profiles of cooperative leaders, and other timely features.
ACRE follows established procedures for making contributions to candidates running for political office. Factors that determine financial support include the candidate’s position on issues critical to electric cooperatives, as well as their votes and public statements on these issues; the candidate’s committee assignments and leadership positions and his or her relative importance to cooperatives; and a candidate’s financial need and the strength of his or her opponent. The candidate’s political affiliation is never taken into account.
Individual states have their own guidelines for making contributions to candidates for statewide offices. While these rules are set by the individual states, they often mirror those guidelines used by the national ACRE program.
Our ability to serve you and your community is heavily dependent on folks like you who use ACRE to get the right people into political office. The personal dedication of members to stand together forms the backbone of a powerful grassroots network that promotes policies to secure the future of your electric cooperative and the families they serve. This is an opportunity to make a huge difference. Please consider it!
Click on the blue button at the bottom of the page to fill out a membership form today!
Monthly bill addition to support ACRE:
Regular contributor $2.08 per month ($25/year)
Century Club: $8.33 per month ($100/year)
Vice President's Club: $20.83 per month ($250/year)
President's Club: $41.66 per month ($500/year)
Or other amount you desire to give per month.
Your voice matters!
As a member of an Ohio electric cooperative, your voice matters to our members of Congress.
Urge Congress to work with electric cooperatives to meet both federal public policy goals and your need for affordable, reliable electricity.
Go to www.action.coop and make your voice heard.
