A little more info from that same link. What do

A little more info from that same link.

What do "for," "against," "abstain" and "withhold" mean on the proxy card or voter instruction form?

Depending on what you are voting on, the proxy card or voting instruction form gives you a choice of voting "for," "against," or "abstain," or "for" or "withhold." Here is an explanation of the differences:

Election of directors: Generally, company bylaws or other corporate documents establish how directors are elected. There are two main ways to elect directors: by plurality vote or majority vote.

A "plurality vote" means that the winning candidate only needs to get more votes than a competing candidate. If a director runs unopposed, he or she only needs one vote to be elected, so an "against" vote is meaningless. Because of this, shareholders have the option to express dissatisfaction with a candidate by indicating that they wish to "withhold" authority to vote their shares in favor of the candidate. A substantial number of "withhold" votes will not prevent a candidate from getting elected, but it can sometimes influence future decisions by the board of directors concerning director nominees.

A "majority vote" means that directors are elected only if they receive a majority of the shares voting or present at the meeting. In this case, you have the choice of voting "for" each nominee, "against" each nominee, or you can "abstain" from voting your shares. An "abstain" vote may or may not affect a director's election. Each company must disclose how "abstain" or "withhold" votes affect an election in its proxy statement. This information is often found toward the beginning of the proxy statement under a heading such as "Votes Required to Adopt a Proposal" or "How Your Votes Are Counted."