To fill out an annual general meeting reservation form, locate the control number on the card or email, mark one box on each proposal (For, Against, or Abstain), vote for or withhold on each director nominee, sign and date the form if you are returning it on paper, and submit it online, by phone, or by mail before the cutoff printed in your materials. The form is more commonly called a proxy card if you hold shares directly, or a voting instruction form (VIF) if you hold through a broker. Both work the same way on the inside.
First, Figure Out Which Form You Have
How you complete and submit the form depends on how your shares are registered.
If you bought stock directly through the company’s transfer agent, you are a registered owner. The company sends you a proxy card, and your vote goes straight to the issuer.1Investor.gov. What Is the Difference Between Registered and Beneficial Owners When Voting on Corporate Matters?
If your shares sit in a brokerage account, you are a beneficial owner holding in street name. Your broker sends you a voting instruction form. You mark your choices the same way, but the broker is the one who actually submits the vote on your behalf.1Investor.gov. What Is the Difference Between Registered and Beneficial Owners When Voting on Corporate Matters? Any item you leave blank becomes a broker non-vote: the broker can vote it on routine matters like ratifying an auditor, but not on contested items like director elections.
What Is on the Form
Every proxy card for a public company has to meet the SEC’s content requirements under Rule 14a-4,2eCFR. 17 CFR 240.14a-4 – Requirements as to Proxy so the layout will look familiar across companies. Expect to find:
- A unique 15- or 16-digit control number, printed on the card or in the Notice of Internet Availability. You need this to vote online or by phone, and to log in to a virtual meeting as a verified shareholder rather than a guest.
- Each proposal on its own line, with boxes for For, Against, and Abstain. Director elections list each nominee individually, and the form must identify every item clearly and impartially.2eCFR. 17 CFR 240.14a-4 – Requirements as to Proxy
- A bold statement, somewhere on the card, telling you how your shares will be voted on any item you leave blank. That default is typically the board’s recommendation.
- A signature line and date field. On a paper card, the form is not valid without both.
The form will not ask for your Social Security number, your brokerage password, or any payment information. Anything that does is a scam, not a legitimate solicitation.
Filling It Out, Line by Line
Start with the control number. If you are voting online or by phone, that number is the only credential you need. The portal or automated system will pull up your share count and the ballot once you enter it.
Work through the proposals in order. Mark one box per item. For director elections, you generally vote for or withhold authority for each nominee separately, though some forms let you vote the whole slate at once. If your state’s law gives legal effect to an “against” vote for directors, the form will include that option next to “withhold.”2eCFR. 17 CFR 240.14a-4 – Requirements as to Proxy
If you want someone else to vote your shares for you, use the proxy designation section to name that person. Under the Model Business Corporation Act and most state statutes, you can appoint a proxy either by signing the card or by electronic transmission that includes enough information to confirm it came from you.3American Bar Association. Report of the Corporate Laws Committee on Changes in the Model Business Corporation Act A physical ink signature is not required.
On a paper card, sign and date in the space provided. Joint owners generally both need to sign. If the card lacks an expiration date, the appointment lapses three years from the date you write on it under most state corporate codes, though in practice the card only covers the upcoming meeting and any adjournment of it.
How to Submit It
Companies offer three channels, and online is almost always the fastest. Enter your control number on the voting website printed on the card, mark your choices on screen, and submit. The whole process takes a few minutes.
Phone voting works the same way. Call the number on the form, enter your control number, and follow the prompts. Both the online portal and the phone line typically close the evening before the meeting.
Mail takes the most lead time. Detach the voting portion of the card where indicated, sign and date it, and return it in the prepaid envelope. A few companies accept scanned forms by email to a designated address, but online submission has largely replaced that option.
Changed your mind? You can revoke a submitted proxy by voting again through any channel before the deadline, by delivering a written revocation to the corporate secretary, or by attending the meeting and voting live. Only the last-submitted vote counts.
Deadlines That Matter
A late form is a wasted vote, so watch three dates on your materials.
The record date is the day the board uses to decide who gets to vote. If you did not own shares as of that date, you cannot vote this meeting, even if you buy in the next day. Federal rules cap the record date at no more than 60 days before the meeting,4eCFR. 12 CFR 239.26 – Shareholders and most state codes set the window between 10 and 60 days out. The exact date is printed on your notice.
The submission cutoff is the one you actually have to meet. It is set in the meeting notice and is commonly 24 to 48 hours before the meeting begins, excluding weekends and holidays, though the exact window depends on the company’s bylaws. Forms arriving after that are not counted, and you lose the ability to vote on anything unless you show up and vote live.
If You Want to Attend the Meeting Yourself
Registered owners can attend in person or virtually and vote live using the control number from their card.
Beneficial owners face an extra step. To attend and vote directly rather than instructing the broker, you need to request a legal proxy from your broker, which transfers voting authority from the institution to you personally. For virtual meetings, some platforms now let beneficial holders attend and vote without a separate legal proxy, though the specifics vary by company and transfer agent.5Broadridge. 2026 Annual Meeting Handbook If you plan to attend, ask your broker about the legal proxy well before the meeting date, because the request takes time to process.
Confirming Your Vote Was Counted
You will not get a personal receipt showing how your individual shares were tallied, but the aggregate results are public. Companies must report the final vote totals on SEC Form 8-K within four business days after the meeting.6U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Form 8-K If the meeting lands on a weekend or federal holiday, the four-day clock starts on the next business day. The filing breaks down each proposal into shares voted for, against, abstaining, and broker non-votes. You can pull it up on the SEC’s EDGAR database using the company’s name or ticker, and use it to confirm that the proposals you cared about were decided the way the tally reflects your share count.