Our Proxy Voting Guidelines, developed in consultation with Proxy Impact, are designed for socially responsible investors who want to align their proxy voting with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. Our goal is to help shareholders vote their own proxies, or provide instructions to their proxy voting services or money managers. To this end, we offer voting recommendations on resolutions commonly found on proxies. The Guidelines are not meant to be comprehensive, although we hope to expand their scope in future editions.
NOTE: Changes to SEC 14a8 rules are currently in flux
SEC rule changes approved 09/23/2020, set to go into effect for all annual general meetings beginning 01/02/2023 is being challenged in court by plaintiffs ICCR, As You Sow, and Jim McRitchie with a complaint filed 06/15/21. In addition, there is a transition period as the rules are phased in. Therefore, the information provided on the web pages below may not be accurate regarding four items:
1: Dollar value of stock needed to file has been raised to $25,000 if held one year; $15,000 if held two years; and $2,000 if held three or more years. These changes will not go into effect until filings for annual general meetings starting January 1, 2023 as part of a transition period phase-in.
2: Resubmission thresholds have been increased to 5% for one year, 15% for two years and 25% for three years and above. This goes into effect for filings beginning July 1, 2021 that effect AGMs after 01/01/2022
3: Shareowners wishing to authorize an issue expert, financial advisors, attorney, or other person or organization to represent them in a 14a8 filing must agree to appear at the first meeting with the company and provide availability when filing a resolution. This goes into effect for filings beginning July 1, 2021 that effect AGMs after 01/01/2022
4: Any single person or entity may only file one shareholder resolution at a given company per season. This goes into effect for filings beginning July 1, 2021 that effect AGMs after 01/01/2022
When shareholders demand real change, companies pay attention. If you’re an investor seeking to align your voting with your environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, download Proxy Voting Guidelines 2021 today. You will find recommendations to help you vote your shareholder proxy ballot, covering critical issues such as climate change, environmental health, and executive compensation.
The Guidelines are designed to be handed off to your investment advisor or proxy voting service, or you can use them to help you vote your own proxies.
If you own shares in a company, use your voice. Written in consultation with Proxy Impact, As You Sow’s Proxy Voting Guidelines offer an easy way to navigate the issues, learn what’s at stake, and make sure your vote matters.
Shareholder advocacy promotes environmental, social, and governance change at companies from within.
Proxy Voting Guidelines feature:
Guiding principles on a wide range of ESG issues like environmental management, executive compensation, corporate political activity, and more
Recommendations for specific votes on issues such as emissions reductions, shareholder rights, antibiotic stewardship, and board diversity
Shareholder advocacy promotes environmental, social, and governance change at companies from within.
Want to get involved, but not sure how to vote your shares? Learn the basics of shareholder advocacy and how to vote your proxy.
After you’ve read our Guidelines and know how you want to vote, download Proxy Preview, our annual report providing in-depth analysis and expert insight on hundreds of social and environmental resolutions. Proxy Preview is co-published with Proxy Impact and the Sustainable Investments Institute.
Your vote determines how companies act on issues investors care about, potentially putting shareholder value at risk. Read the Guidelines and use your power as a shareholder to keep companies engaged. Together, we can make a difference.
The content described in the Proxy Voting Guidelines is the core of the rules-based proxy voting service that can be accessed at www.asyouvote.org
The new As You Sow, partnership with Proxy Impact is currently available only for institutional shareholders on the Broadridge ProxyEdge® platform.
After signing up, institutional investors can then subscribe to AS YOU VOTE and with one button click to vote all of their shares. There are also options to customize on a company-by-company basis.
AS YOU VOTE guidelines require the development of new actionable data sets by Broadridge. We expect this process to be completed by fall 2021. Consequently, some of the guidelines listed below cannot be applied at this time. Please contact us for more details.