Corp. Code, § 5616 · Chapter 6. Voting of Memberships
Corp. Code, § 5616
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) If the articles or bylaws authorize cumulative voting, but not otherwise, every member entitled to vote at any election of directors may cumulate the member’s votes and give one candidate a number of votes equal to the number of directors to be elected multiplied by the number of votes to which the member is entitled, or distribute the member’s votes on the same principle among as many candidates as the member thinks fit. An article or bylaw provision authorizing cumulative voting may be repealed or amended only by approval of the members (Section 5034), except that the governing article or bylaw provision may require the vote of a greater proportion of the members, or of the members of any class, for its repeal.
(b) No member shall be entitled to cumulate votes for a candidate or candidates unless the candidate’s name or candidates’ names have been placed in nomination prior to the voting and a member has given notice at the meeting prior to the voting of the member’s intention to cumulate votes. If any one member has given this notice, all members may cumulate their votes for candidates in nomination.
(c) In any election of directors by cumulative voting, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected, subject to any lawful provision specifying election by classes.
(d) In any election of directors not governed by subdivision (c), unless otherwise provided in the articles or bylaws, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected.
(e) Elections for directors need not be by ballot unless a member demands election by ballot at the meeting and before the voting begins or unless the bylaws so require.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 1984, Ch. 812, Sec. 3.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CORP§ionNum=5616.
- Text hash
- sha256 ba6a9c75fc9e364e6ddab7509532f1c42f83e9d4db36eb8f1ec45d179b03fa13
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
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Corporations Code
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