Voting.

D.C. Code div. V, tit. 29, ch. 4, subch. V, pt. B

in effect

D.C. Code § 29-405.20 Members list for meeting.

29-405.20. Members list for meeting. (a) After fixing a record date for a meeting, a membership corporation shall prepare an alphabetical list of the names of all its members that are entitled to notice of that meeting of the members. The list shall show the address of and number of votes each member is entitled to cast at the meeting. (b) The list of members shall be available for inspection by any member, beginning 2 business days after notice of the meeting is given for which the list was prepared and continuing through the meeting, at the membership corporation’s principal office or at a place identified in the meeting notice in the city where the meeting will be held. A member or the member’s agent shall be entitled on demand in the form of a record to inspect and, subject to the requirements of § 29-413.02(c), to copy the list, during regular business hours and at the member’s expense, during the period it is available for inspection. (c) The membership corporation shall make the list of members available at the meeting, and a member or the member’s agent is entitled to inspect the list at any time during the meeting or any adjournment. (d) If a membership corporation refuses to allow a member or the member’s agent to inspect the list of members before or at the meeting, or copy the list as permitted by subsection (b) of this section, the Superior Court on application of the member, may: (1) Summarily order the inspection or copying at the corporation’s expense; (2) Postpone the meeting for which the list was prepared until the inspection or copying is complete; (3) Order the corporation to pay the member’s costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees, incurred to obtain the order; and (4) Order other appropriate relief. (e) Refusal or failure to prepare or make available the list of members shall not affect the validity of action taken at the meeting. (f) Instead of making the list of members available as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a membership corporation may state in a notice of meeting that the corporation has elected to proceed under this subsection. A member of a corporation that has elected to proceed under this subsection shall state in the member’s demand for inspection a proper purpose for which inspection is demanded. Within 10 business days after receiving a demand under this subsection, the corporation shall deliver to the member making the demand an offer of a reasonable alternative method of achieving the purpose identified in the demand without providing access to or a copy of the list of members. An alternative method that reasonably and in a timely manner accomplishes the proper purpose set forth in the demand relieves the corporation from making the list of members available under subsection (b) of this section, unless within a reasonable time after acceptance of the offer the corporation fails to do the things it offered to do. Any rejection of the corporation’s offer shall be in the form of a record and shall indicate the reasons the alternative proposed by the corporation does not meet the proper purpose of the demand. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.21 Voting entitlement of members.

29-405.21. Voting entitlement of members. Except as otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, each member shall be entitled to one vote on each matter voted on by the members. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.22 Proxies.

29-405.22. Proxies. (a) Except as otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, a member may vote in person or by proxy. (b) A member or the member’s agent or attorney-in-fact may appoint a proxy to vote or otherwise act for the member by signing an appointment form in the form of a record. An appointment form shall contain or be accompanied by information from which it can be determined that the member or the member’s agent or attorney-in-fact authorized the appointment of the proxy. (c) An appointment of a proxy shall be effective when a signed appointment in the form of a record is received by the inspectors of election, the officer or agent of the membership corporation authorized to tabulate votes, or the secretary. An appointment shall be valid for 11 months unless a longer period, which may not exceed 3 years, is expressly provided in the appointment form. (d) The death or incapacity of the member appointing a proxy shall not affect the right of the membership corporation to accept the proxy’s authority unless notice of the death or incapacity is received by the inspectors of election, the officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes, or the secretary before the proxy exercises his authority under the appointment. (e) Subject to § 29-405.23 and to any express limitation on the proxy’s authority stated in the appointment form, a membership corporation may accept the proxy’s vote or other action as that of the member making the appointment. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.23 Acceptance of votes.

29-405.23. Acceptance of votes. (a) If the name signed on a ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment corresponds to the name of a member, the membership corporation if acting in good faith may accept the ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment and give it effect as the act of the member. (b) If the name signed on a ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment does not correspond to the name of its member, the membership corporation if acting in good faith may nevertheless accept the ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment and give it effect as the act of the member if: (1) The member is an entity and the name signed purports to be that of an officer or agent of the entity; (2) The name signed purports to be that of an administrator, executor, guardian, or conservator representing the member and, if the corporation requests, evidence of fiduciary status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment; (3) The name signed purports to be that of a receiver or trustee in bankruptcy of the member and, if the corporation requests, evidence of this status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment; (4) The name signed purports to be that of a beneficial owner or attorney-in-fact of the member and, if the corporation requests, evidence acceptable to the corporation of the signatory’s authority to sign for the member has been presented with respect to the ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment; or (5) Two or more persons are the member as co-tenants or fiduciaries and the name signed purports to be the name of at least one of the co-owners and the person signing appears to be acting on behalf of all the co-owners. (c) The membership corporation may reject a ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment 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 member. (d) The membership corporation and its officer or agent that accepts or rejects a ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment in good faith and in accordance with the standards of this section or § 29-405.22(b) shall not be liable in damages to the member for the consequences of the acceptance or rejection. (e) Corporate action based on the acceptance or rejection of a ballot, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment under this section shall be valid unless a court of competent jurisdiction determines otherwise. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.24 Quorum and voting requirements for voting groups.

29-405.24. Quorum and voting requirements for voting groups. (a) Members entitled to vote as a separate voting group may take action on a matter at a meeting only if a quorum of those members exists with respect to that matter. Except as otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter by the voting group constitutes a quorum of that voting group for action on that matter. (b) Once a member is represented for any purpose at a meeting, the member shall be deemed present for quorum purposes for the remainder of the meeting and for any adjournment of that meeting unless a new record date is or must be set for that adjourned meeting. (c) If a quorum exists, action on a matter, other than the election of directors, by a voting group is approved if the votes cast within the voting group favoring the action exceed the votes cast opposing the action, unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws require a greater number of affirmative votes. (d) An amendment of the articles of incorporation or bylaws adding, changing, or deleting a quorum or voting requirement for a voting group greater than specified in subsection (a) or (c) of this section shall be governed by § 29-405.26. (e) If a meeting cannot be organized because a quorum is not present, those members present may adjourn the meeting to such time and place as they may determine. Except as otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, when a meeting that has been adjourned for lack of a quorum is reconvened, those members present, although less than a quorum as fixed in this section, the articles, or the bylaws, nonetheless constitute a quorum. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.25 Action by single and multiple voting groups.

29-405.25. Action by single and multiple voting groups. (a) If this chapter, the articles of incorporation, or the bylaws provide for voting by a single voting group on a matter, action on that matter is taken when voted upon by that voting group as provided in § 29-405.24. (b) If this chapter, the articles of incorporation, or the bylaws provide for voting by 2 or more voting groups on a matter, action on that matter shall be taken only when voted upon by each of those voting groups counted separately as provided in § 29-405.24. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.26 Different quorum or voting requirements.

29-405.26. Different quorum or voting requirements. (a) The articles of incorporation or bylaws may provide for a higher or lower quorum or voting requirement for members, or voting groups of members, than is provided for by this chapter. (b) An amendment to the articles of incorporation or bylaws that adds, changes, or deletes a greater quorum or voting requirement shall meet the same quorum requirement and be adopted by the same vote and voting groups required to take action under the quorum and voting requirements then in effect. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.27 Voting for directors.

29-405.27. Voting for directors. (a) Except as otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, directors of a membership corporation shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the members entitled to vote in the election at a meeting at which a quorum is present. (b) Unless permitted by the articles of incorporation or bylaws, members shall not have a right to cumulate their votes for directors. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

D.C. Code § 29-405.28 Inspectors of election.

29-405.28. Inspectors of election. (a) A membership corporation may appoint one or more inspectors to act at a meeting of members and make a report in the form of a record of the inspectors’ determinations. Each inspector shall execute the duties of inspector impartially and according to the best of the inspector’s ability. (b) The inspectors shall: (1) Ascertain the number of members and their voting power; (2) Determine the members present at a meeting; (3) Determine the validity of proxies and ballots; (4) Count all votes; and (5) Determine the result. (c) An inspector may, but need not, be a director, member of a designated body, member, officer, or employee of the membership corporation. An individual who is a candidate for office to be filled at the meeting may not be an inspector. (July 2, 2011, D.C. Law 18-378, § 2, 58 DCR 1720.)

Source: Council of the District of Columbia (code.dccouncil.gov)URL: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/titles/29/chapters/4/subchapters/V/parts/BFetched: 10/21/2026