Shareholder Rights API: board structure, voting and takeover defenses
Rights shareholders hold and defenses boards keep, from the proxy: classified boards, dual class, vote standard, special meetings, proxy access, rights plans.
Overview
A company's charter and bylaws decide how much power shareholders have: whether all directors stand for election each year, whether one class of stock controls the vote, whether holders can call a special meeting or act by written consent, and what defenses the board can use. The proxy summarizes these provisions and puts changes to them on the ballot.
The Shareholder Rights API returns them as fields, one record per proxy, with each governance proposal on the ballot, its category, the document it amends, the vote required and the board's recommendation.
What you get
Built for developers who would rather not parse EDGAR.
Classified, declassifying or annual board, number of classes and directors up for election.
Each share class with votes per share and voting power percent, plus any controlling holder.
Special meeting and written consent rights, supermajority provisions, rights plans, exclusive forum, proxy access.
Each proposal to change the charter or bylaws, with vote required and board recommendation.
Endpoints
Authenticate with Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY. Responses are JSON.
Rights shareholders hold and defenses the board holds: board cycle, voting classes, election standard, charter/bylaw provisions and governance ballot items.
Parameters: ticker | cik, accessionNo, startDate, endDate, data.<path>=value, from, size (max 50)
Response fields
The main fields in every result. The raw filing data is always one level down.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
accessionNo, filedAt, entities | The proxy statement and the company. |
meetingDate, meetingType, meetingFormat | The meeting, including virtual or hybrid. |
incorporation.state, reincorporationProposed | State of incorporation and any move. |
boardStructure.classifiedBoard, numberOfClasses | How directors are elected. |
votingStructure.dualClass, classes[].votesPerShare, votingPowerPct | Share classes and who holds the vote. |
directorElection.voteStandard, resignationPolicy | Majority or plurality voting. |
shareholderRights.specialMeetingThresholdPct, writtenConsentRight, rightsPlan, proxyAccess | Key rights and defenses. |
advanceNotice.windowStart, windowEnd | Window for nominations and proposals. |
governanceProposals[].category, voteRequiredPct, boardRecommendation | Governance items on the ballot. |
Use cases
- Screen for classified boards and dual class stock
- Track declassification and supermajority repeal proposals
- Check special meeting and proxy access thresholds
- Find nomination windows ahead of a campaign
Datasets behind this API
The SEC forms this API reads, with live filing counts.
FAQ
How far back does it go?
These datasets launched in October 2026 and are being filled newest first, starting with filings from 2020 onward. The live counter on this page shows what is loaded today. Older years are added after that.
How is the data produced?
Each record is extracted from the filing text by an AI model and validated against a fixed schema before it is published; see our AI Disclosure. A value the filing does not state is returned as null, never guessed.
Is this read from the charter itself?
No. It is read from the proxy statement, which summarizes the charter and bylaw provisions. Provisions the proxy does not mention are null.
Try the Shareholder Rights API free
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