Each year Computershare mails out nearly 18.5 million proxies, tabulates 2.5 million votes, and manages more than 1,500 annual meetings. With the bulk of the 2014 proxy season behind us, we plunged into the data we received from this year’s meetings and our Annual Meeting Survey to provide a snapshot of how this year’s voting trends went.
As you might expect, electronic distribution and voting are on the rise, but still a long way away from being the norm. This year, 90% of all proxies were sent by print mail, 10% were sent electronically. Of tabulated votes, 73% were returned via mail, 17% via web, and 10% via IVR.
We also learned that an annual meeting isn’t enough to pull people out of their warm homes in the winter (January and February are the least popular months), and people love a snack (89% of meetings offered a meal or refreshment).