Proxy advisory firm ISS Governance is seeking feedback on proposed changes to its voting recommendations for the upcoming annual meeting season.
On Thursday, the firm opened the public comment period for its benchmark voting policies for 2026, which seeks input on 19 proposed policy changes, including changes to its policies on executive and director compensation issues in the U.S., its approach to unequal shareholder voting rights, and the use of virtual shareholder meetings.
Additionally, it updates the firm’s approach to environmental- and social-related shareholder proposals in four areas — climate change, diversity, human rights and political contributions — “to reflect fully case-by-case assessments of each situation.”
“The current policy on these topics is and has historically been expressed to generally recommend support for such proposals unless specific conditions warrant otherwise,” it explained in a report detailing the planned changes.
“However proposals on these topics now vary widely in scope, relevance, and potential impact, and expressing the policies as case-by-case reflecting our specific and fully nuanced analysis of each situation is now considered more appropriate.”
The comment period runs until Nov. 11. It’s expected that the voting policies will be finalized by late November and will apply to shareholder meetings in 2026.