(a) A shareholder may vote the shareholder’s shares in person or by proxy.
(b) An appointment of a proxy shall be effective when a signed appointment form or an electronic transmission of the appointment is received by the inspector of election or the officer or agent of the corporation authorized to tabulate votes. An appointment is valid for 11 months unless a longer period is expressly provided in the appointment form.
(c) An appointment of a proxy shall be revocable unless the appointment form or electronic transmission states that it is irrevocable and the appointment is coupled with an interest. Appointments coupled with an interest shall include the appointment of:
(1) A pledgee;
(2) A person that purchased or agreed to purchase the shares;
(3) A creditor of the corporation that extended it credit under terms requiring the appointment;
(4) An employee of the corporation whose employment contract requires the appointment; or
(5) A party to a voting agreement created under § 29-305.41.
(d) The death or incapacity of the shareholder appointing a proxy shall not affect the right of the corporation to accept the proxy’s authority unless notice of the death or incapacity is received by the secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes before the proxy exercises authority under the appointment.
(e) An appointment made irrevocable under subsection (d) of this section shall be revoked when the interest with which it is coupled is extinguished.
(f) A transferee for value of shares subject to an irrevocable appointment may revoke the appointment if the transferee did not know of its existence when acquiring the shares and the existence of the irrevocable appointment was not noted conspicuously on the certificate representing the shares or on the information statement for shares without certificates.
(g) Subject to § 29-305.24 and to any express limitation on the proxy’s authority stated in the appointment form or electronic transmission, a corporation shall be entitled to accept the proxy’s vote or other action as that of the shareholder making the appointment.
(July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720; Mar. 5, 2013, D.C. Law 19-210, § 2(c)(12), 59 DCR 13171.)
The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 19-210 repealed former (b), which read: “A shareholder, or the shareholder’s agent or attorney-in-fact, may appoint a proxy to vote or otherwise act for the shareholder by signing an appointment form or by an electronic transmission. An electronic transmission shall contain or be accompanied by information from which one can determine that the shareholder, the shareholder’s agent, or the shareholder’s attorney-in-fact authorized the transmission.”; and redesignated (c) through (h) as (b) through (g), respectively.
Application of Law 19-210: Section 7 of D.C. Law 19-210 provided that the act shall apply as of January 1, 2012.
Structure District of Columbia Code
Title 29 - Business Organizations. [Enacted title]
Chapter 3 - Business Corporations
§ 29–305.20. Shareholders’ list for meeting
§ 29–305.21. Voting entitlement of shares
§ 29–305.23. Shares held by nominees
§ 29–305.24. Corporation’s acceptance of votes
§ 29–305.25. Quorum and voting requirements for voting groups
§ 29–305.26. Action by single and multiple voting groups
§ 29–305.27. Greater quorum or voting requirements