How do I cast a vote using a blue proxy card during a contested election?

To cast a vote using a blue proxy card in a contested election, submit the dissident shareholder group's card online, by phone, or by mail, ensuring the submission carries the latest timestamp before the meeting deadline.

In contested corporate elections, management and insurgent shareholder groups distribute competing proxy cards, traditionally using blue cards for activist director slates. Ineffective proxy execution risks corporate disenfranchisement, where a single misdated submission can invalidate an investor's voice and undermine strategic campaigns costing upwards of $100,000 in administrative and advisory expenses.

If you only do one thing: Submit only the blue proxy card and verify it carries the latest calendar date, because only the most recently dated valid proxy received prior to the voting deadline counts.

1. Verify record date ownership: Confirm legal share ownership as of the established record date outlined in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Schedule 14A filing to ensure statutory voting eligibility.
2. Review definitive solicitation filings: Examine the dissident's definitive proxy statement—such as materials filed by ZimCal Asset Management LLC and BIMIZCI Fund LLC—to evaluate the nominated director candidates and strategic governance proposals against the incumbent board.
3. Select slate preferences on the blue form: Mark director choices and corporate proposals directly on the physical blue card or via the designated 16-digit control number assigned to the equity position.
4. Submit via authorized custodial channels: Transmit voting instructions electronically through online portals, automated telephone platforms, or pre-paid mail at least 24 to 48 hours prior to the formal shareholder meeting.
5. Discard management proxy cards: Refrain from signing or returning the incumbent company's white proxy card, as any subsequent submission to management automatically revokes and nullifies the earlier blue card under standard corporate statutes.

• Watch out for: Submitting multiple conflicting cards from both management and activists, which creates contradictory instructions that election inspectors will disqualify as invalid or spoiled votes.
• Watch out for: Custodial processing delays for shares held in "street name" at a brokerage firm, which typically requires institutional processing 24 to 72 hours ahead of the issuer's formal cutoff.
• Watch out for: Signing a proxy card without marking specific nominee exemptions, which automatically confers discretionary voting authority to the designated proxy holders per the proxy statement terms.

Retrieve the 16-digit control number from the delivered blue voting instruction form and execute the ballot through the designated electronic portal prior to the intermediary's processing deadline.

General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Decisions about money, investments, insurance or tax should be made with a licensed financial adviser, accountant or tax professional.