South Carolina § 33-7-300 - Voting trusts.

§ 33-7-300. Voting trusts.

(a) One or more shareholders may create a voting trust, conferring on a trustee the right to vote or otherwise act for them, by signing an agreement setting out the provisions of the trust (which may include anything consistent with its purpose) and transferring their shares to the trustee. When a voting trust agreement is signed, the trustee shall prepare a list of names and addresses of all owners of beneficial interests in the trust, together with the number and class of shares each transferred to the trust, and deliver copies of the list and agreement to the corporation's principal office. A complete and current list of the names and addresses of all owners of beneficial interests in the trust and the number and class of shares represented by the certificates held by them and the dates on which they became owners must be kept on file at the office of the trustee and at the corporation's principal office.

(b) A voting trust becomes effective on the date the first shares subject to the trust are registered in the trustee's name. A voting trust is valid for not more than ten years after its effective date unless extended under subsection (c).

(c) All or some of the parties to a voting trust may extend the voting trust for additional terms of not more than ten years each by signing an extension agreement and obtaining the voting trustee's written consent to the extension. An extension is valid for ten years from the date the first shareholder signs the extension agreement. The voting trustee must deliver copies of the extension agreement and list of beneficial owners to the corporation's principal office. An extension agreement binds only those parties signing it.

(d) To the extent provided by the voting trust agreement, the trustees are entitled to vote without the consent of the voting trust certificate holders upon all amendments of the articles and upon any merger, consolidation, dissolution, sale of assets, reduction of stated capital of the corporation, or other matter on which a record owner of shares is entitled to vote. Except to the extent provided otherwise by the voting trust agreement, the voting trust certificate holder has all voting rights, dissenter's rights, inspection rights, and other rights available to shareholders under this section.

HISTORY: Derived from 1976 Code SECTION 33-11-160 [1962 Code SECTION 12-16.16; 1952 Code SECTIONS 12-251 to 12-253; 1942 Code SECTIONS 7679, 7680; 1932 Code SECTIONS 7679, 7680; Civ. C. '22 SECTIONS 4253, 4254; Civ. C. '12 SECTIONS 2786, 2787; Civ. C. '02 SECTIONS 1845, 1846; R. S. 1502; 1901 (21) 811; 1962 (52) 1996; 1981 Act No. 146, SECTION 2; Repealed, 1988 Act No. 444, SECTION 2]; 1988 Act No. 444, SECTION 2.