During an election, people will sometimes find that directors are elected with a large number of votes even though few people showed up at the meeting. This is possible because people can appoint someone to act as a proxy. They can do this by using a proxy form. The proxy form is a government prescribed form that you get with your AGM package. It allows you to “attend” the meeting and vote, even if you cannot be there.

There has been a lot of confusion and controversy around the use of proxies, which led the government to standardize the form. This current form however comes in an editable pdf format, which many people have difficulty using. The use of electronic voting is gaining ground and may someday make proxy voting obsolete.