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<br />001021 <br /> <br />person / one vote was seen by the agricultural coops as a serious breach to the historical way of <br />cooperative governance. <br /> <br />Not all agree irrigation districts developed out of the agricultural coop movement. <br /> <br /> <br />While some districts did have several members and formed from communiti~ similar to the <br /> <br /> <br />coops, some districts developed from special interests groups independent of a community, In <br /> <br /> <br />these latter districts weighted voting was the preferred method of board member selection. <br /> <br />While there is some uncertainty about the constitutionality of appointment systems, it <br /> <br /> <br />seemed to be the general consensus there is no problem as long as elected officials make the <br /> <br /> <br />appointments. A 1925 court case suggests there may be constitutional problems with unelected <br /> <br /> <br />officials making the appointment. Uneiected officials making an appointment does not <br /> <br /> <br />necessarily present a constitutional problem; it may depend on each state constitution, <br /> <br />There has never been a study undertaken to compare the turnover rate of elected vs. <br /> <br />appointed boards; and this might be extracted from the current body of data, Turnover may <br /> <br /> <br />occur equally with both election and appointme"nt systems, The key factor may be the <br /> <br />relationship between the board and the district managers and not the board selection method. <br /> <br />The use of atemaI prusure to cJuznge the method of govt:nllUlCe <br /> <br />There is not a consensus on the value of relying on external pressures, sItCh as <br /> <br /> <br />legislation or litigation, to force districts into governance reform. One view envisions the <br /> <br /> <br />process of board selection and make-up as the dclvUig varil!bles in whether any change, <br /> <br />43 <br />