(805 ILCS 317/45)

Sec. 45. Voting.

(a) The articles or cooperative agreement may allocate voting power among patron members on the basis of one or a combination of the following:

(1) one member, one vote;

(2) if a member is a cooperative, the number of its members; or

(3) on the basis of use or patronage unless the association is a worker cooperative.

(b) If the articles or cooperative agreement allocate voting power to patron members on the basis of use or patronage and a patron member would be denied a vote because the patron member did not conduct patronage with the association during the period on which the allocation of voting power is determined, the articles or cooperative agreement must provide that the patron member shall nevertheless be allocated a vote equal to at least the minimum voting power allocated to patron members who conducted patronage with the association during the period.

(c) The articles or cooperative agreement may provide for the allocation of member voting power by districts or class or any combination thereof.

(d) The voting power of members who are not patron members may be limited or eliminated.

(e) At no time shall worker-members have less than a majority of the total voting power of a limited worker cooperative association.

(Source: P.A. 101-292, eff. 1-1-20; 102-351, eff. 8-13-21.)