(a) If a corporation has more than one class of shares outstanding, the holders of the outstanding shares of a class are entitled to vote as a separate voting group, if shareholder voting is otherwise required by this chapter, on a proposed amendment to the articles of incorporation if the amendment would:
(1) Effect an exchange or reclassification of all or part of the shares of the class into shares of another class;
(2) Effect an exchange or reclassification, or create the right of exchange, of all or part of the shares of another class into shares of the class;
(3) Change the rights, preferences or limitations of all or part of the shares of the class;
(4) Change the shares of all or part of the class into a different number of shares of the same class;
(5) Create a new class of shares having rights or preferences with respect to distributions or to dissolution that are prior or superior to the shares of the class;
(6) Increase the rights, preferences or number of authorized shares of any class that, after giving effect to the amendment, have rights or preferences with respect to distributions or to dissolution that are prior or superior to the shares of the class;
(7) Limit or deny an existing preemptive right of all or part of the shares of the class; or
(8) Cancel or otherwise affect rights to distributions that have accumulated but not yet been authorized on all or part of the shares of the class.
(b) If a proposed amendment would affect a series of a class of shares in one or more of the ways described in subsection (a) of this section, the holders of shares of that series are entitled to vote as a separate voting group on the proposed amendment.
(c) If a proposed amendment that entitles the holders of two or more classes or series of shares to vote as separate voting groups under this section would affect those two or more classes or series in the same or a substantially similar way, the holders of shares of all the classes or series affected by the proposed amendment must vote together as a single voting group on the proposed amendment, unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or required by the board of directors.
(d) A class or series of shares is entitled to the voting rights granted by this section although the articles of incorporation provide that the shares are nonvoting shares.
Structure West Virginia Code
Chapter 31D. West Virginia Business Corporation Act
Article 10. Amendment of Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
§31D-10-1001. Authority to Amend
§31D-10-1002. Amendment Before Issuance of Shares
§31D-10-1003. Amendment by Board of Directors and Shareholders
§31D-10-1004. Voting on Amendments by Voting Groups
§31D-10-1005. Amendment by Board of Directors
§31D-10-1006. Articles of Amendment
§31D-10-1007. Restated Articles of Incorporation
§31D-10-1008. Amendment Pursuant to Reorganization
§31D-10-1009. Effect of Amendment
§31D-10-1020. Amendment by Board of Directors or Shareholders
§31D-10-1021. Bylaw Increasing Quorum or Voting Requirement for Directors