Nonprofit Law Jargon Buster: What is Proxy Voting?
Proxy voting is legal mechanism for a member of a voting body to delegate his or her voting right to another member of the voting body. In the context of nonprofit corporations, voting bodies include the board of directors as well as voting members. Some nonprofit corporations rely on proxy voting because it allows directors or members who have confidence in the judgment of other directors or members to vote for them and allows the voting body to convene a quorum of votes when it is difficult for all members of the voting body to attend. In proxy speak, the individual delegating his or her voting authority is referred to as the principal and the individual exercising the delegated voting authority is referred to as the proxy for the principal.