Prevalence of direct voting and elected representation varies among irrigation organizations

Two ways in which irrigation organizations incorporate user input into management decisions include direct voting and through elected representatives on a governance board. Data from the 2019 Survey of Irrigation Organizations (SIO) shows that direct voting is especially common among incorporated mutual organizations, with 75 percent allowing members who receive water for irrigation to vote on management decisions. More than half of unincorporated mutual organizations and irrigation districts (57 and 53 percent, respectively) report that water users vote directly on management decisions. Organizations may also have a board of elected representatives: 43 percent of unincorporated mutual organizations have elected representatives, compared to 75 percent of incorporated mutual organizations and 82 percent of irrigation districts. Organizations can also use less formal, community-based discussion and consensus strategies for decision-making, but the use of these practices was not measured in the 2019 SIO. This information appears in the USDA, Economic Research Service report Irrigation Organizations: Organization Types and Governance, published September 2025.