Vanguard is expanding its Investor Choice proxy voting platform to all Vanguard U.S. equity index products, starting in early 2027.
With more than half a million participating investors, Investor Choice is the world’s largest retail proxy voting choice program. It is designed to empower individual investors, their advisors, 529 plans, and retirement plan sponsors to make their voices heard on important shareholder matters at portfolio companies held in participating Vanguard funds.
Vanguard Investor Choice offers a range of clear, distinct, and curated voting policy options that determine how investors’ proportionate shares are voted.
“Three years ago, we launched Vanguard Investor Choice to make proxy voting more accessible to all investors,” John Galloway, global head of investor engagement at Vanguard, said. “With the addition of the Total Stock Market Index and our Target Retirement suite, millions more investors can now make their voices heard on important shareholder topics. As participation grows, we continue to see investors bringing diverse perspectives to proxy voting, strengthening our conviction that corporate governance is stronger when all investors have a voice.”
The expansion brings in more than 30 funds, including the Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market Index Fund, the world’s largest mutual fund. It also includes Vanguard’s Target Retirement suite of funds, among others.
Investor demand for proxy voting choice remains strong. Recent Vanguard research indicates that 85 percent of investors believe fund managers should consider their preferences when casting proxy votes, while 55 percent want the opportunity to choose how votes are cast on their behalf.
These results reinforce findings from Vanguard’s 2025 survey, which found similarly strong investor interest in proxy voting choice. According to Vanguard’s 2026 How Investors Vote report, more than half a million investors are now participating in Investor Choice, up more than sixfold from the year prior.
This final expansion achieves Vanguard’s goal of making Investor Choice available across its full U.S. equity index lineup and brings the program to $8.2 trillion in eligible assets.