Landowners living in Salt River Project (SRP) territory in central Arizona will have a chance to vote between March 11 and April 7 to fill seats across the utility’s governing boards and councils.
Eligible voters will decide who will hold positions on the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association, which manages water operations, and the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, which oversees electric operations.
Because SRP — unlike other Arizona utilities — is not regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission, its independently elected officials have the sole authority to set electricity rates, approve major infrastructure investments and determine solar policies.
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, SRP served more than 37% of all electricity sold in Arizona in 2024.
Election rules and voter eligibility
Unlike typical municipal or state elections, the SRP voting system is primarily tied to land ownership. Voting power for most SRP board and council seats is based on acreage, meaning landowners receive one vote per acre owned. All eligible landowners within SRP boundaries who have owned their land for at least 100 days prior to the election can participate.
The Association and the District each have a president and vice president, and each also has a 10-member board that establishes policies to further the business affairs of SRP and a 10-member council that enacts and amends bylaws and serves as liaison to landowners.
Candidates typically seek to serve in the same position for both the Association and the District. For example, David Rousseau and Christopher Dobson are the current president and vice president of both the Association and the District.
The District board also includes four at-large seats, which are decided on a one-landowner, one-vote basis, regardless of property size. Two of the at-large seats are up for election in this race.
Early voting by mail begins March 11, and the deadline to request an early voting ballot is March 27. In-person voting is available at the SRP Voting Center in Tempe on weekdays between March 11 and April 6 from 8:30 am to 5 pm, and from 6 am to 7 pm on Election Day, April 7.
Candidates vying for leadership
The ballot features races for the presidency, vice presidency and numerous district and at-large seats. Dobson and Sandra Kennedy are running for president of both the Association and the District. Casey Clowes, Barry E. Paceley and Keith Woods are competing for the vice president roles.
For the two at-large Board of Directors positions, Rusty Kennedy and Krista H. O’Brien are facing off for Seat 12, while Kelly Cooper and Kathy L. Mohr-Almeida are running for Seat 14. Dozens of other candidates are competing for district-specific board and council positions.
Industry backing and political involvement
The solar industry and clean energy advocates are largely throwing their support behind the SRP Clean Energy Team, a slate of candidates running on a platform to increase renewable energy production and establish favorable policies for distributed solar.
The group’s website says its candidates believe the Phoenix metro area — nicknamed the Valley of the Sun — “should be the solar capital of the world.”
At the top of the Clean Energy Team slate are Kennedy and Clowes, current at-large board members who are vying for president and vice president. The two candidates were first elected to their at-large positions for 4-year terms in 2024, meaning they would return to those positions if they do not prevail in their respective races.
The Clean Energy Team also includes another two current at-large board members, Krista O’Brien and Kathy Mohr-Almeida, who are running to retain their current at-large board seats. Rounding out the slate are Division 8 board candidate Melissa Harlan and council candidates Randy Miller, Regina Gutierrez and Nicole Brown.
Miller, who is the current Association and Board member for SRP Division 8, says the group has been working since 2015 to advance clean energy priorities in the District. He pointed to the fact that SRP now publishes annual reports of its greenhouse gas emissions as one of the group’s victories over that time.
In comments to pv magazine USA, Miller said the Clean Energy Team advocates for new solar installations of all sizes, but is specifically focused on supporting the deployment of new distributed rooftop systems.
The Clean Energy Team candidates are facing organized opposition this year. Conservative group Turning Point Action and political action committee Arizonans for Responsible Growth have published lists of their endorsed candidates, both of which include Chris Dobson and Barry Paceley for president and vice president alongside Rusty Kennedy, Kelly Cooper, Paul Rovey, Leslie Williams, Nick Vanderwey, Nina Mullins and Mark Pace for positions on the board.
Arizonans for Responsible Growth managing director Jimmy Lindblom told pv magazine USA the group prefers an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy to keep up with growing demand. “We want clean air, we want carbon free or carbon neutral (energy), but let’s do it in a way that doesn’t stop economic growth,” he said. “Do it in a way that we don’t black out, keep the grid affordable, and keep it reliable.”
In a statement to pv magazine USA, Arizona Solar Energy Industry Associate (AriSEIA) executive director Autumn Johnson said “AriSEIA wants to see policymakers elected that want to advance AZ’s transition to clean energy. Every election, SRP or otherwise, has profound implications for energy policy and the transition to clean energy. Procurement, DG policy and rate design, and clean energy goals are all impacted by (the SRP) board.”
Johnson expressed concern that Turning Point USA “continues to spread misinformation and is highly engaged in this election,” and the website for Arizonans for Responsible shows the money it will reportedly spend on this election “appears to be largely data center development money.”
“None of this is a positive development,” she concluded.
In previous election cycles, clean energy candidates for the SRP board have received financial backing from environmental political action committees, including Chispa Arizona and the Jane Fonda Climate PAC. For 2026, advocacy group Vote Solar is also mobilizing voters for the election, noting that the results will directly impact how distributed energy connects to the grid and how solar customers are credited.
“Right now, voters aren’t focused on political talking points — they’re asking whether their energy bills will become more manageable as the cost of living keeps rising.,” said Itzel Rios-Vega, Regional Director for the West at Vote Solar in comments to pv magazine USA, adding, “In Georgia’s recent commission elections, we saw strong turnout around concerns about energy costs. While SRP’s election system is different, many Arizona communities are looking for leaders who prioritize affordable energy and policies that expand access to solar.”
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