2018 Tennessee Code
Title 48 - Corporations and Associations
Nonprofit Corporations
Chapter 57 - Meetings and Voting
Part 2 - Voting
§ 48-57-205. Proxies.
(a) Unless the charter or bylaws prohibit or limit proxy voting, a member may vote in person or by proxy.
(b) Without limiting the manner in which a member may authorize another person or persons to act for the member as proxy pursuant to this section, the following shall constitute a valid means by which a member may grant such authority:
(1) A member may execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for the member as proxy. Execution may be accomplished by the member personally signing such writing or by an attorney-in-fact in the case of an individual member or by an authorized officer, director, employee, agent or attorney-in-fact in the case of any other member signing such writing or causing the member's signature to be affixed to such writing by any reasonable means, including, but not limited to, facsimile signature;
(2) A member may authorize another person or persons to act for the member as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the transmission of a telegram, cablegram, or electronic transmission to the person who will be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive such transmission; provided, that any such telegram, cablegram, or electronic transmission shall either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the telegram, cablegram, or electronic transmission was authorized by the member. If it is determined that such telegrams, cablegrams, or electronic transmissions are valid, the inspectors or, if there are no inspectors, such other persons making such determination shall specify the information upon which they relied;
(3) Any copy, electronic transmission or other reliable reproduction of such writing or transmission may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used; provided, that such copy, electronic transmission or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission.
(c) An appointment of a proxy is effective when received by the secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes. An appointment is valid for eleven (11) months unless another period is expressly provided in the appointment form.
(d) An appointment of a proxy is revocable by the member unless the appointment form conspicuously states that it is irrevocable and the appointment is coupled with an interest. Appointments coupled with an interest include the appointment of:
(1) A pledgee;
(2) A person who purchased or agreed to purchase the membership;
(3) A creditor of the corporation who extended it credit under terms requiring the appointment;
(4) An employee of the corporation whose employment contract requires the appointment; or
(5) A party to a voting agreement created under § 48-57-301.
(e) In the case of a proxy not made irrevocable under subsection (d), the death or incapacity of the member appointing a proxy does not affect the right of the corporation to accept the proxy's authority unless notice of the death or incapacity is received by the secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes before the proxy exercises the proxy's authority under the appointment.
(f) An appointment made irrevocable under subsection (d) becomes revocable when the interest with which it is coupled is extinguished.
(g) A transferee for value of the membership subject to an irrevocable appointment may revoke the appointment if the transferee did not know of its existence when such transferee acquired the membership, and the existence of the irrevocable appointment was not noted conspicuously on the document or documents representing the membership or the right to transfer the membership.
(h) Subject to § 48-57-208 and to any express limitation on the proxy's authority appearing on the face of the appointment form, a corporation is entitled to accept the proxy's vote or other action as that of the member making the appointment.
(i) Each fiduciary, including such acting as executor, administrator, guardian, committee, agent, or trustee, owning memberships registered in such person's name as fiduciary, or in the name of another for the convenience of the fiduciary, whether the corporation issuing such memberships is foreign or domestic, may, in addition to exercising the voting rights vested in such fiduciary, execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, a proxy or proxies in accordance with this section to others for the voting of such memberships, but subject always to the following limitations:
(1) If there are two (2) or more fiduciaries acting, the proxy shall be executed by, and voting instructions shall be issued by, agreement of all fiduciaries or a majority of them, and in the event of failure to obtain a majority, each of the fiduciaries shall vote the number of memberships held by the fiduciaries divided by the number of fiduciaries; and
(2) In the event the rights, manner or method of voting or the purpose to be accomplished is fixed by the instrument or instruments appointing the fiduciaries, the directions therein shall govern.
