What changed during the 2026 proxy season?
Fewer proposals did not mean fewer risks for issuers. The season shifted more responsibility toward companies and boards as the SEC withdrew from substantive review of shareholder-proposal exclusions.
At the same time, institutional voting approaches became less centralized, proxy-advisor models continued to evolve and companies sustained their interest in reincorporating outside Delaware. These developments are making vote outcomes less predictable and year-round investor engagement more important.
The report covers:
- Say-on-pay results and compensation-related scrutiny
- Director elections and board-accountability expectations
- Environmental, social, governance and anti-ESG proposals
- Rule 14a-8 and the changing proposal-exclusion process
- Litigation risk associated with exclusion decisions
- DExit and reincorporation trends involving Texas and Nevada
- Proxy-advisor recommendations and institutional voting behavior
- Priorities for off-season shareholder engagement