Calista Corporation Shareholders are voting whether to change the quorum requirement at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. 

Calista Corporation Shareholders are voting whether to change the quorum requirement at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. 

The Board of Directors recommends a Yes vote approving this resolution. At least 2/3rds (66.67%) of voting shares (present in person or by proxy) must vote Yes for this resolution to pass. In 2016, 59.1% of Shareholders voted yes.

Quorum is the minimum percentage of outstanding shares needed to hold a valid meeting. For Alaska Native Corporations like Calista, more than 50% are needed to be represented in person or by proxy.

For the last 5 Annual Meetings, less than 4 in 10 Shareholders 18-39 years old vote. And less than half of Shareholders in their 40’s vote.

The fact that younger people vote less often is true for all elections. Less than half of registered voters 18-34 years old actually voted during the 2016 Alaska general election.

According to the National Congress of American Indians, the turnout rate for Native “registered voters is 5-14% lower than the rate of many other racial and ethnic groups.”

What happens if too few Shareholders vote? Your votes don’t count. The Annual Meeting isn’t valid. The meeting and elections must be rescheduled, which can exceed $100,000 (printing, postage, advertising, etc.).

Calista wants your votes to count and we use several methods to encourage Shareholders to vote.

For this resolution to pass, Calista needs a Yes vote from 2/3 (66.67%) or more of voting shares present in person or by proxy at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Shareholders who proxy vote (paper or electronic) qualify for cash prizes.