(1) A shareholder may vote the shareholder's shares in person or by proxy.
(2) A shareholder or the shareholder's agent or attorney-in-fact may appoint a proxy to vote or otherwise act for the shareholder by executing an appointment form, or by an electronic transmission. An electronic transmission must contain or be accompanied by information from which the recipient can determine the date of the transmission and that the transmission was authorized by the sender or the sender's agent or attorney-in-fact.
(3) An appointment of a proxy is effective when an executed appointment form or an electronic transmission of the appointment is received by the inspector of election or the officer or agent of the corporation authorized to tabulate votes. An appointment is valid for the term provided in the appointment form or electronic transmission, and, if no term is provided, is valid for eleven months unless the appointment is irrevocable under subsection (4) of this section.
(4) An appointment of a proxy is revocable by the shareholder unless the appointment form or electronic transmission states that it is irrevocable and the appointment is coupled with an interest. Appointments coupled with an interest include the appointment of:
(a) A pledgee;
(b) A person who purchased or agreed to purchase the shares;
(c) A creditor of the corporation who extended it credit under terms requiring the appointment;
(d) An employee of the corporation whose employment contract requires the appointment; or
(e) A party to a voting agreement created under RCW 23B.07.310.
(5) The death or incapacity of the shareholder 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 officer or agent of the corporation authorized to tabulate votes before the proxy exercises the proxy's authority under the appointment.
(6) An appointment made irrevocable under subsection (4) of this section is revoked when the interest with which it is coupled is extinguished.
(7) A transferee for value of shares subject to an irrevocable appointment may revoke the appointment if the transferee did not know of its existence when the transferee acquired the shares and the existence of the irrevocable appointment was not noted conspicuously on the certificate representing the shares or on the information statement for shares without certificates.
(8) Subject to RCW 23B.07.240 and to any express limitation on the proxy's authority stated in the appointment form or electronic transmission, a corporation is entitled to accept the proxy's vote or other action as that of the shareholder making the appointment.
[ 2020 c 57 § 53; 2002 c 297 § 25; 2000 c 168 § 2; 1989 c 165 § 70.]