Abstaining versus not voting
I have always wondered this in relation to voting at annual meetings for stocks that I own.
What is the difference between checking "abstain" for a certain item versus not checking any box? To me, the difference is that by checking "abstain", it is a vote and if there is a policy that a certain percentage of shares need to be voted, then mine are accounted for. But either way, the chance of the proposal passing is the same whether I abstain or don't vote. Is that correct? Any other differences?
And just out of curiosity, has anyone ever attended the annual meeting for a stock they own? (I'm talking mostly about attending as a stock-owner not an employee or manager). I have no interest in doing this but wondered if anyone else has.
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