At Dodo Cloud, shareholders cast their votes during general meetings either through a web form or by show of hands. Previously, a recurring issue arose where new responses that were submitted after the secretariat had already tallied the votes led to discrepancies that necessitated re-tabulation.
To address this, we’ve implemented a new operational rule and revised our workflow: web forms for resolutions are now immediately closed once voting on that agenda item concludes during the meeting. This measure prevents any further submissions after the deadline, ensuring the accuracy of vote counts and significantly reducing the workload for the secretariat.
1. Issue: Inaccurate Vote Counts
Dodo Cloud, an IT startup with around 20 shareholders, manages its general meeting voting as follows:
The secretariat first emails the meeting agenda to shareholders in advance. Shareholders can then cast their votes on each resolution through a web form, accessible via email, either before or during the meeting. For those attending in person, voting by a show of hands is also an option.
During the general meeting, voting on each agenda item occurs the moment the chairperson states, “Those in favor of this resolution, please raise your hand.” At this point, the number of votes from shareholders who raised their hands (in-person) and the number of votes submitted via the web form must be tallied.
However, a recurring issue has been the submission of new web form responses after the secretariat has already compiled the for/against tallies. This leads to discrepancies in the vote count, making it impossible to finalize accurate voting results. Consequently, the secretariat is often forced to re-tally votes, significantly increasing their workload.
2. Solution: Closing the Web Form After the Deadline
The secretariat has established an operational rule to immediately close the web form for voting on any agenda item, once its deliberation and vote conclude during the general meeting.
The process owner will revise the workflow to ensure the secretariat blocks the web form at the appropriate moment, specifically right after the relevant resolution is voted on. Furthermore, the system will be configured so that the shareholder voting process automatically ends once the web form is closed.
This new measure will effectively prevent shareholders from submitting responses after the deadline, ensuring the integrity of the vote count.
Before :
View details of the workflow diagram
- Process Initiation
- Email Distribution (to shareholders)
- Response Submission (via web form)
- Status Update
- Upon submission, status changes from “Unexercised” to “Exercised.”
After :
View details of the workflow diagram
- Process Initiation
- 1. Proxy Voting Hard Deadline
- Email Distribution (to shareholders)
- Response Submission (via web form)
- Status Update
- Upon submission, status changes from “Unexercised” to “Exercised.”
*1. The process ends at one of the following points: the forced deadline for exercising voting rights, the entry of approval or disapproval, or the conclusion of the general meeting. (All parallel tokens will also be terminated.)
Compare Before/After
Reference:Shareholder Meeting Agenda Registration Process
*The Shareholder Meeting Voting Process is initiated from its parent process, the “Shareholder Meeting Proposal Registration Process”.
3. Benefits
- Enhanced Accuracy of Vote Tabulation
- By implementing measures to prevent the submission of responses after the designated tabulation deadline, the potential for vote fluctuations following the secretariat’s initial count has been eliminated.
- This enhancement directly contributes to the improved reliability of voting outcomes.
- Reduced Operational Burden on the Secretariat
- The elimination of the need for re-tabulation has significantly alleviated the workload on the secretariat.
- This operational improvement has led to increased efficiency in the administration of general meetings.