We have recently released the November 2007 edition of the Study of Majority Voting in Director Elections, which demonstrates that majority voting for the election of directors, which has been characterized by its advocates as a tool for increasing director accountability, has become the prevailing election standard among large, public companies. As issuers prepare for the 2008 proxy season, a few statistics and examples drawn from the Study underscore that majority voting has become a relatively mature, as well as widespread, movement.

Majority Voting in the S&P 500 and Fortune 500. 66% of the companies in the S&P 500 and over 57% of the companies in the Fortune 500 have adopted a form of majority voting, notwithstanding robust levels of merger and acquisition activity early in 2007 that resulted in several firms with majority voting going private. By way of contrast, when the Study was initially published in 2006, only 16% of the companies in the S&P 500 had adopted a form of majority voting.

(more…)