§ 16-10a-724. Corporation's acceptance of votes.

(1) If the name signed on a vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation corresponds to the name of a shareholder, the corporation, if acting in good faith, is entitled to accept the vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation and give it effect as the act of the shareholder.

(2) If the name signed on a vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation does not correspond to the name of a shareholder, the corporation, if acting in good faith, is nevertheless entitled to accept the vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation and give it effect as the act of the shareholder if:

(a) the shareholder is an entity and the name signed purports to be that of an officer or agent of the entity;

(b) the name signed purports to be that of an administrator, executor, guardian, or conservator representing the shareholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence of fiduciary status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation;

(c) the name signed purports to be that of a receiver or trustee in bankruptcy of the shareholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence of this status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation;

(d) the name signed purports to be that of a pledgee, beneficial owner, or attorney-in-fact of the shareholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence acceptable to the corporation of the signatory's authority to sign for the shareholder has been presented with respect to the vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation;

(e) two or more persons are the shareholder as cotenants or fiduciaries and the name signed purports to be the name of at least one of the cotenants or fiduciaries and the person signing appears to be acting on behalf of all cotenants or fiduciaries; or

(f) the acceptance of the vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation is otherwise proper under rules established by the corporation that are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section.

(3) If shares are registered in the names of two or more persons, whether fiduciaries, members of a partnership, cotenants, husband and wife as community property, voting trustees, persons entitled to vote under a shareholder voting agreement or otherwise, or if two or more persons, including proxyholders, have the same fiduciary relationship respecting the same shares, unless the secretary of the corporation or other officer or agent entitled to tabulate votes is given written notice to the contrary and is furnished with a copy of the instrument or order appointing them or creating the relationship wherein it is so provided, their acts with respect to voting shall have the following effect:

(a) if only one votes, the act binds all;

(b) if more than one vote, the act of the majority so voting binds all;

(c) if more than one vote, but the vote is evenly split on any particular matter, each faction may vote the securities in question proportionately;

(d) if the instrument so filed or the registration of the shares shows that any tenancy is held in unequal interests, a majority or even split for the purpose of this section shall be a majority or even split in interest.

(4) The corporation is entitled to reject a vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation if the secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes, acting in good faith, has reasonable basis for doubt about the validity of the signature on it or about the signatory's authority to sign for the shareholder.

(5) The corporation and its officer or agent who accepts or rejects a vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation in good faith and in accordance with the standards of this section are not liable in damages to the shareholder for the consequences of the acceptance or rejection.

(6) Corporate action based on the acceptance or rejection of a vote, consent, waiver, proxy appointment, or proxy appointment revocation under this section is valid unless a court of competent jurisdiction determines otherwise.

Enacted by Chapter 277, 1992 General Session