Merging With CUES eVote

With the credit union industry going increasingly digital, it should come as no surprise that electronic solutions are being used to facilitate merger proceedings. CUES eVote is a highly secure platform that allows CUs to hold votes quickly, easily and confidentially. 

$700 million First Credit Union, Chandler, Arizona, used CUES eVote for its recent merger with $21 million Bashas’ Associates Federal Credit Union in nearby Tempe. 

“We already had experience using CUES eVote for our board elections,” reports CUES member Heidi Kim, chief experience officer. “Bashas’ was interested in providing an electronic election with a paper option, making CUES eVote a perfect option for their members to vote on the merger.”

CUES eVote “gave us a third-party, objective resource that allowed the membership to vote in a safe, secure way,” Kim adds. “The process was easy. We just needed to provide CUES with a data file to identify eligible voters. We got the certificate and results back in a quick manner.”

Plus, CUES was available to provide support for the electronic vote as needed. “There was a phone number that members could call to speak to CUES staff directly, taking both credit unions out of the picture of influencing members about their decision,” Kim says. “Also, if someone needed a paper ballot, CUES was able to provide it.”

Kim appreciates CUES’ ability to work on a tight schedule. “We found out in December 2021 that the merger would be happening, and we had to get everything lined up for the official merger date of May 2022,” she says. “CUES was able to work with us to accommodate our condensed timeline.”

Having CUES handle the vote was particularly helpful during the hectic time of a merger. “It took the pressure off of both credit unions because we had other things we needed to be working on during that timeframe,” Kim says. cues icon

Based in Missouri, Diane Franklin is a longtime contributor to CU Management magazine.