Model Shareowner Proposal for Proxy Access
Today, the United States Proxy Exchange (USPX) released a Model Proxy Access Proposal that can be presented to corporations for a shareowner vote under SEC Rule 14a-8 to ensure that long-term shareowners have a reasonable, but not necessarily easy, means for including board nominations in the proxy materials those corporations distribute—so called “proxy access”.
The Model Proposal is designed to achieve legitimate purposes of proxy access without including anti-democratic provisions that have marred other approaches—most notably the SEC’s vacated Rule 14a-11. It provides two alternative ways parties may qualify to nominate: one is mostly suited for large shareowners, and the other is mostly suited for small shareowners. The Model Proposal imposes no hard cap on the total number of shareowner nominations, although it provides safeguards that obstruct parties from seeking a change in control through proxy access.
The Model Proposal is released with thirteen pages of accompanying discussion. This explains how to submit the Model Proposal to corporations. It describes the history of proxy access, dating to the 1970s. It details the legitimate goals of proxy access and explains how the Model Proposal achieves these without disenfranchising the majority of shareowners.
The USPX has developed the Model Proposal as a means of stimulating debate and experimentation with alternative approaches to proxy access. Implemented as-is, it will provide a reasonable means for most long-term shareowners to participate in nominating directors.
We encourage shareowners to submit the Model Proposal or to use it as a starting point in developing their own proposals. We hope that shareowners will also submit completely different proposals of their own design. Our discussion of issues should assist shareowners in that process.
The success of proxy access depends on experimentation to find what works. The USPX is committed to supporting such experimentation. Releasing the Model Proposal is a part of our support.