April 29, 2012
Greetings,
I just signed the following petition addressed to: United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Stop blank shareholder votes from being counted as votes for management.
We believe that when a shareowner casts a blank vote, it should be counted as
cast. The integrity of the proxy voting system demands it. Items left blank should
be counted as abstentions. Those voting electronically should be warned of each
skipped item. Non-votes, like more clearly indicated votes, should not be
changed to reflect the voting preferences or recommendations of brokers,
bankers, management, board or the soliciting committee, since these parties may
have interests not fully aligned with those of shareowners.
A petition was filed with the SEC on May 15, 2009. Several years later, the SEC has yet to act. Please sign the petition AND submit comments
on the petition via email to rule-comments@sec.gov with File 4-583 in the subject line.
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Sincerely,
James McRitchie
Note: this email was sent as part of a petition started on Change.org, viewable at http://www.change.org/petitions/bring-fairness-to-corporate-elections. To respond, click here