If you cannot go to the meeting yourself, you can appoint someone else to go in your place as your 'proxy'. By default, the Chair of the meeting is appointed as your proxy and will cast your vote in accordance with the instructions given. You can appoint someone other than the Chair as your proxy but they must attend the meeting and vote on your behalf for your vote to be counted.
You can make your proxy appointment online (if the Company in which you holds shares offers this service) or by using the paper proxy form if one has been sent to you. For your proxy appointment to be valid, this must be received by the deadline quoted in the notice of meeting, typically this is by the date which is 2 working days prior to the meeting.
Regardless of whether you plan on attending the meeting, it is recommended that you do appoint a proxy and give voting instructions in case you are unable to make the meeting, this ensures that your votes will still be counted. Appointing a proxy will not prevent you from also attending and voting in person at the meeting.
If a company is offering this facility, you will receive details with other information about the meeting.
Generally, there are two ways of voting. If you receive a paper notification of the meeting, you can go to the named website, usually www.sharevote.co.uk and log on using the reference numbers provided.
If you already have a Shareview portfolio however, the process is even easier. Just log in using your usual Shareview Portfolio details and then any company where you can send an instruction will have a 'Vote Now' link shown under the company name on your shares page, simply click this link and use the online form to submit your instruction.
Increasingly, companies are offering shareholders the choice of receiving communications such as meeting notifications by email instead of by post.
To register for e-mail communication, you just need to create a Portfolio which you can use to tell us that you want your company mailings sent to you by email. You can change your mailing preference at any time by simply logging on to your Portfolio and choosing ‘Change preferences’ from the main left hand navigation menu.
When you choose 'email', we will pass your instruction on to any companies within your Shareview Portfolio that offer shareholders an email option.
You should make sure that your email address on your Shareview Portfolio is up to date, by logging on to your Portfolio and ensuring you have your current email address registered with us.
If we are unable to send your shareholder communications, such as a notification of meeting, because the e-mail address you have given us is not recognised, we will send you a paper copy of the email by post within 48 hours of issuing the original email communication.