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HomeCorporations CodeCh. 5Art. 1§ 5514 Proxy Ballot Voting Rules

§ 5514 Proxy Ballot Voting Rules

Corporations Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 5514 Proxy Ballot Voting Rules

Key Takeaways

  • •If a big company (with 100+ members) asks for votes using a form or proxy, they must let members vote 'yes' or 'no' on each topic.
  • •If a member writes 'withhold' on a vote for directors, their vote won’t count for or against anyone.
  • •If the company doesn’t follow these rules, the vote can be challenged in court, but the company’s actions won’t automatically be canceled.

Example

A big company sends out a form asking members to vote on new rules and who should be on the board.

The form must let members vote 'yes' or 'no' on each rule. If a member writes 'withhold' for a board member, their vote won’t count for that person. If the company forgets to do this, someone can complain in court, but the votes already counted won’t be thrown out.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 5514 Proxy Ballot Voting Rules

(a) Any form of proxy or written ballot distributed to 10 or more members of a corporation with 100 or more members shall afford an opportunity on the proxy or form of written ballot to specify a choice between approval and disapproval of each matter or group of related matters intended, at the time the written ballot or proxy is distributed, to be acted upon at the meeting for which the proxy is solicited or by such written ballot, and shall provide, subject to reasonable specified conditions, that where the person solicited specifies a choice with respect to any such matter the vote shall be cast in accordance therewith. (b) In any election of directors, any form of proxy or written ballot in which the directors to be voted upon are named therein as candidates and which is marked by a member “withhold” or otherwise marked in a manner indicating that the authority to vote for the election of directors is withheld shall not be voted either for or against the election of a director. (c) Failure to comply with this section shall not invalidate any corporate action taken, but may be the basis for challenging any proxy at a meeting or written ballot and the superior court may compel compliance therewith at the suit of any member. (Amended by Stats. 1979, Ch. 724.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

proxywritten ballotapproval and disapprovalwithholdcorporate action

Related Statutes

  • § 12464 Corporate Ballot Voting Rules
  • § 7514 Proxy Voting Requirements
  • § 12463 Member Voting Without Meetings
  • § 5513 Member Voting Without Meetings
  • § 7513 Member Voting Without Meetings

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Corporations Code. Section 5514.
View Official Source