Empowering investors through BlackRock Voting Choice

Today, investors can choose from thousands of low-cost, high-quality investment funds across asset classes and markets. BlackRock believes that greater choice should extend to proxy voting and is committed to a future where every investor can participate in the proxy voting process if they so choose.

We launched BlackRock Voting Choice in 2022 to make participation in the proxy voting process easier and more accessible for eligible clients.

BlackRock Voting Choice, an industry first and a proprietary offering, currently enables eligible clients to participate in the proxy voting process where legally and operationally viable.

^{Source: BlackRock. Client funds participating in BlackRock Voting Choice are as of March 31, 2026. Assets include index equity assets held in multi-asset fund of funds strategies. All currency shown in USD.}

Eligible clients can choose one of four options:¹

1. Clients choose and implement their preferred voting policy

Clients in certain institutional pooled vehicles have the ability to apply their preferred voting policy to shares in the pooled fund reflecting the client’s proportional ownership of that fund. Clients either develop their own processes and policies to be implemented by an in-house team or contract directly with a third-party proxy advisor to develop and implement a custom policy.² The preferred voting policy, whether designed in-house by the client or a third-party, can be applied in a consistent way across a broader share of their overall portfolio allocation, using the client’s preferred proxy voting service provider and allowing the client to exercise a high degree of control over the decision-making process and the voting implementation.

2. Clients can direct votes

Separately managed account (SMA) clients have multiple options to direct votes. SMA clients can (i) authorize BlackRock to vote in accordance with BlackRock Investment Stewardship’s Benchmark voting policy, (ii) select a third-party voting policy offered through Voting Choice, (iii) utilize their custom voting policy, (iv) implement a voting policy based on their investment objects with the support of BlackRock Investment Stewardship,³ and/or (v) make specific voting decisions on the topics or at the companies that matter most to them after a voting policy is applied.⁴

3. Clients choose from a slate of third-party policies

Clients in eligible institutional pooled vehicles and SMAs have the ability to select from a set of voting policies⁵ from third-party proxy advisers the policy that best aligns with their views and preferences. BlackRock can then use its proxy voting infrastructure to cast votes based on the client’s selected voting policy.

4. Clients rely on BlackRock’s informed judgment for all voting decisions

Clients have the choice to rely on BlackRock Investment Stewardship for all of their voting decisions. Electing to rely on BlackRock to exercise voting authority is itself a choice and a deliberate decision by the client to entrust BlackRock Investment Stewardship to vote in the client’s economic interests.