Merck shareholders report 2026 director vote totals

Merck & Co., Inc. reported the results of shareholder voting from its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on May 26, 2026.

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. reported the results of shareholder voting from its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on May 26, 2026. The report focuses on the submission of matters to a vote of security holders.

Shareholders cast detailed votes for the election of 13 directors, with each nominee receiving over 1.6 billion votes "For" and significant broker non-votes of 283,983,197 reported for each director. The company states that a majority of the votes cast was required for all six proposals presented at the meeting.

8-K Event Classification

Item 5.07 — Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

1 item

Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders Governance

Results of a shareholder vote on proposals at an annual or special meeting.

Key Figures

Votes for Douglas M. Baker, Jr.: 1,849,536,622 votes Votes for Robert M. Davis: 1,729,744,541 votes Votes against Patricia F. Russo: 217,186,188 votes +2 more

5 metrics

Votes for Douglas M. Baker, Jr. 1,849,536,622 votes Director election at May 26, 2026 Annual Meeting

Votes for Robert M. Davis 1,729,744,541 votes Director election at May 26, 2026 Annual Meeting

Votes against Patricia F. Russo 217,186,188 votes Director election at May 26, 2026 Annual Meeting

Broker non-votes per director 283,983,197 votes Reported for each director election

Votes for Christine E. Seidman, M.D. 1,848,205,743 votes Director election at May 26, 2026 Annual Meeting

Key Terms

Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Broker Non-Votes, Emerging growth company, Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act

4 terms

Annual Meeting of Shareholders financial

"The Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Merck & Co., Inc. (the “Company”) was held on May 26, 2026."

A yearly gathering where a company’s owners (shareholders) vote on key items like electing the board, approving executive pay, and ratifying auditors, and receive updates on performance and strategy. Think of it as an annual town hall for owners: it matters to investors because outcomes and disclosures can affect leadership, corporate direction, dividend and governance policies, and therefore the company’s risk and potential return.

Broker Non-Votes financial

"Names | Votes For | Votes Against | Abstentions | Broker Non-Votes"

Broker non-votes occur when a brokerage firm is unable to vote on a shareholder’s behalf during a company election or decision because the shareholder has not given specific voting instructions, and the broker is not allowed or chooses not to vote on certain matters. They are important because they can affect the outcome of votes, especially when the results are close, by effectively reducing the total number of votes cast.

Emerging growth company regulatory

"Emerging growth company"

An emerging growth company is a recently public or smaller public firm that qualifies for temporary, lighter regulatory and disclosure rules to reduce the cost and effort of being public. For investors, it means the company may provide less historical financial detail and face fewer reporting requirements than larger firms, so it can grow more quickly but also carries higher uncertainty—like buying a promising early-stage product with fewer user reviews.

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act regulatory

"Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act"

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did Merck (MRK) report in this Form 8-K filing?

Merck & Co., Inc. reported shareholder voting results from its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on May 26, 2026. The filing details votes cast for director elections and notes that a majority of votes cast was required for all six proposals.

When was Merck (MRK) 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held?

Merck’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders was held on May 26, 2026. The Form 8-K dated May 28, 2026 summarizes how shareholders voted on director elections and other proposals requiring a majority of votes cast.

How did shareholders vote on Merck (MRK) director Douglas M. Baker, Jr.?

For director Douglas M. Baker, Jr., shareholders cast 1,849,536,622 votes For, 5,420,062 votes Against, and 2,563,716 Abstentions. There were also 283,983,197 broker non-votes reported for this director election at the 2026 Annual Meeting.

What were the shareholder votes for Merck (MRK) CEO Robert M. Davis as director?

For director Robert M. Davis, shareholders cast 1,729,744,541 votes For, 117,936,777 votes Against, and 9,839,082 Abstentions. In addition, 283,983,197 broker non-votes were recorded for his election at the May 26, 2026 Annual Meeting.

How many broker non-votes were reported in Merck (MRK) 2026 director elections?

For each director election, Merck reported 283,983,197 broker non-votes. This same broker non-vote figure appears across all 13 director nominees listed in the voting results from the May 26, 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

What voting standard applied to the proposals at Merck (MRK) 2026 Annual Meeting?

A majority of the votes cast was required for all six proposals presented at Merck’s 2026 Annual Meeting. The Form 8-K states this standard alongside detailed vote counts for the director elections and broker non-votes.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) May 28, 2026 (May 26, 2026)

Merck & Co., Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New Jersey (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) 1-6571 (Commission File Number) 22-1918501 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

126 East Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, NJ (Address of principal executive offices) 07065 (Zip Code)

(732) 594-4000

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

¨	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
¨	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock ($0.50 par value)		MRK		New York Stock Exchange
1.875% Notes due 2026		MRK/26		New York Stock Exchange
3.250% Notes due 2032		MRK/32		New York Stock Exchange
2.500% Notes due 2034		MRK/34		New York Stock Exchange
1.375% Notes due 2036		MRK 36A		New York Stock Exchange
3.500% Notes due 2037		MRK/37		New York Stock Exchange
3.700% Notes due 2044		MRK/44		New York Stock Exchange
3.750% Notes due 2054		MRK/54		New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ¨

Item 5.07. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

(a) The Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Merck & Co., Inc. (the “Company”) was held on May 26, 2026.

(b) Shareholders voted on the matters set forth below:

1. The following nominees were elected to the Company’s Board of Directors to hold office until the Company’s next Annual Meeting of Shareholders and received the number of votes set forth opposite their names:

Names	Votes For	Votes Against	Abstentions	Broker Non-Votes
Douglas M. Baker, Jr.	1,849,536,622	5,420,062	2,563,716	283,983,197
Mary Ellen Coe	1,839,523,954	15,699,812	2,296,634	283,983,197
Pamela J. Craig	1,805,030,600	48,837,633	3,652,167	283,983,197
Robert M. Davis	1,729,744,541	117,936,777	9,839,082	283,983,197
Thomas H. Glocer	1,733,084,321	121,844,310	2,591,769	283,983,197
Surendralal L. Karsanbhai	1,832,639,394	21,031,536	3,849,470	283,983,197
Risa J. Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D.	1,838,747,154	16,432,343	2,340,903	283,983,197
Stephen L. Mayo, Ph.D.	1,849,015,649	6,015,256	2,489,495	283,983,197
Paul B. Rothman, M.D.	1,835,774,436	19,226,470	2,519,494	283,983,197
Patricia F. Russo	1,636,745,520	217,186,188	3,588,692	283,983,197
Christine E. Seidman, M.D.	1,848,205,743	7,001,420	2,313,237	283,983,197
Inge G. Thulin	1,822,902,605	32,175,009	2,442,786	283,983,197
Kathy J. Warden	1,821,054,647	32,894,586	3,571,167	283,983,197

2. Non-binding advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers:

1,730,192,132 votes FOR

109,310,633 votes AGAINST

18,017,635 shares abstained from voting

283,983,197 broker non votes

3. Ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2026:

2,011,579,504 votes FOR

126,487,980 votes AGAINST

3,436,113 shares abstained from voting

1

4. Shareholder proposal regarding a report on DEI risks in federal contracting:

22,754,046 votes FOR

1,812,455,404 votes AGAINST

22,310,950 shares abstained from voting

283,983,197 broker non votes

5. Shareholder proposal regarding a report on healthcare coverage gaps:

23,597,628 votes FOR

1,811,874,302 votes AGAINST

22,048,470 shares abstained from voting

283,983,197 broker non votes

6. Shareholder proposal regarding a report on political contributions:

227,074,175 votes FOR

1,606,594,343 votes AGAINST

23,851,882 shares abstained from voting

283,983,197 broker non votes

A majority of the votes cast was required for all six proposals to be approved.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	Merck & Co., Inc.
Date: May 28, 2026	By:	/s/ Kelly E. W. Grez
		Kelly E. W. Grez
		Corporate Secretary

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