Praxis Mutual Funds® considers proxy voting an extension of shareholder advocacy and a fundamental privilege and responsibility of stock ownership. Proxy voting offers us the opportunity to represent our values on a wide range of issues directly to corporate leadership. While many proposals on ballots are non-binding, company management pays close attention to the will of shareholders and action often accompanies even modest voting results.
Praxis holds over 1,000 companies and through proxy voting, we can provide input to corporate leadership beyond those companies we can engage through shareholder advocacy. Praxis has developed a sophisticated, values-driven proxy voting policy that seeks to carefully consider every resolution and ensure it is voted appropriately.
Themes and takeaways
The 2022 proxy season was record-breaking both in terms of the number of shareholder proposals (over 500) that went to a vote and the number of majorities achieved (over 35) on environmental, governance and social issues.
New resolution topics more than doubled, and included carbon credits, competitive employment standards, and ghost guns. Banking was the leading industry receiving shareholder proposals. The most successful proposals requested lobbying expenditures disclosure, racial equity audits, and Paris-aligned climate policy commitments.
Nearly half of all proposals were withdrawn before coming to a vote, continuing the trend of substantial cooperation between shareholders and companies. Shareholders withdraw proposals when the company agrees to fulfilment of the investor ask, such as a commitment to a certain policy change or agreement to a good-faith dialogue.
Download the full Praxis 2022 Proxy Voting Report here.