Were there any changes to the Board of Directors?

No, all of the Company's nominees for director were elected by the shareholders. This indicates continuity in the board's composition and leadership.

What is the significance of ratifying KPMG LLP as the independent auditor?

The ratification of KPMG LLP as the independent auditor signifies shareholder confidence in the company's financial reporting and oversight processes. It means shareholders approved the selection of KPMG to conduct the audit of GE's financial statements for fiscal year 2010.

Why did the shareholder proposals fail to pass?

While the filing doesn't explicitly state the reasons for the failure, the voting tallies show a significant majority of 'Against' votes for all shareholder proposals. This suggests that either management recommended voting against these proposals and shareholders followed that recommendation, or a substantial portion of shareholders independently disagreed with the proposals' objectives or merits.

What do the 'Non-Votes' mean in the context of these results?

Non-votes typically represent shares that were present at the meeting (either in person or by proxy) but were not voted on a specific matter. They can occur for various reasons, such as broker non-votes on proposals where the broker did not have discretionary voting authority, or shareholders intentionally abstaining from voting on certain items. In this filing, the substantial number of non-votes, especially on shareholder proposals, means that the 'Against' votes often represent a smaller percentage of the total outstanding shares, but they were still sufficient to defeat the proposals.

GE 8-K: Shareholder Matters

Summary

This 8-K filing from General Electric (GE) reports on the outcomes of the company's annual shareholder meeting held on April 28, 2010. The primary focus of this filing is the voting results on key corporate matters. Investors should note that all director nominees were elected, and the appointment of KPMG LLP as the independent registered accounting firm for fiscal year 2010 was ratified, indicating continued confidence in the board and financial oversight. However, it is crucial for investors to observe that all six shareholder proposals presented at the meeting failed to gain approval. These proposals covered a range of governance and compensation-related issues, including cumulative voting, special shareholder meetings, independent board chairmanship, pay disparity, key board committees, and an advisory vote on executive compensation. The overwhelming 'Against' votes on these proposals suggest that management's current approach to these matters has been supported by the majority of shareholders present and voting.

Key Highlights

1All director nominees presented by General Electric were elected by shareholders at the annual meeting.
2KPMG LLP was ratified as General Electric's independent registered accounting firm for the fiscal year 2010.
3All six shareholder proposals, covering governance and executive compensation, failed to receive majority approval.
4Significant opposition was shown for proposals concerning cumulative voting, special shareholder meetings, and advisory vote on executive compensation, with 'Against' votes substantially outnumbering 'For' votes.
5The filing details the voting breakdown for each director nominee and each shareholder proposal, providing transparency on shareholder sentiment.
6The large number of 'Non-Votes' across most proposals, particularly director elections, is a notable aspect of the voting results.

GENERAL ELECTRIC CO 8-K Report, Shareholder Vote Results (May 4, 2010)

Summary

Key Highlights

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