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Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) proxy voting record 2026
Three of its ballots from this season. Vote first, then see what it did with the shares your savings paid for.
The question on the ballot
As filed
Vanguard World Fund files this fund's proxy votes with the SEC once a year. This is what it did with the shares your retirement savings paid for.
SourceProxy-voting record filed by Vanguard World Fund on 2026-08-27 · open the filing
TickersVHT (ETF Shares), VHCIX (Admiral Shares) · share classes of one fund, with one proxy-voting record · as listed in its latest SEC filing of proxy votes
How it voted, by issue
Fund companies sometimes file the same proposal under different subjects. So that funds can be compared, each proposal is counted under the subject most of the filings we read gave it, the same for every fund on this site. On management's own executive pay resolutions, this fund voted in favour 95.5% of the time across 311 votes.
| Issue | Proposals faced | Backed | Share backed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate & environment | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Pay equity & inclusion | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Executive pay | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Corporate governance | 27 | 2 | 7.4% |
| Other social issues | 5 | 0 | 0% |
Its filing lists 3 ballot items more than once, with different share counts (8 rows in all): parts of this fund’s shares were voted separately. Each such item is counted once here, with all of its shares, the way most of them were cast.
Its filing also lists 11,439 separately voted blocks, 0.95% of the shares it voted: the shares of investors who chose their own voting policy under Vanguard Investor Choice. The figures here count the fund’s own vote. How Investor Choice shows up in the filings →
Ballots it voted
Merck & Co., Inc. · 26 May 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder · Climate & environment
Regarding a report on DEI risks in federal contracting.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 7,353,259 shares
“Shareholder proposal regarding a report on DEI risks in federal contracting.”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Merck & Co., Inc. · 26 May 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder · Climate & environment
Regarding a report on healthcare coverage gaps.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 7,353,259 shares
“Shareholder proposal regarding a report on healthcare coverage gaps.”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Universal Health Services, Inc. · 20 May 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder · Pay equity & inclusion
Should Universal Health Services disclose more about the people it employs?
Shareholders asked for fuller disclosure of the company’s human capital — the composition of the workforce, turnover, and how the company invests in the people it employs.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 163,947 shares
“Stockholder proposal to adopt a policy requiring Universal Health Services, Inc. to publicly disclose its workforce diversity, if properly presented at the meeting.”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Humana Inc. · 16 April 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder · Executive pay
Should shareholders get a vote before Humana pays a departing executive?
Shareholders asked the company to seek shareholder approval for any severance package to a senior executive above a set multiple of salary and bonus — so that very large exit payments cannot be agreed by the board alone.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 357,480 shares
“The stockholder proposal requesting shareholder approval requirement for excessive golden parachutes, if properly presented at the meeting.”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Revvity, Inc. · 28 April 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder · Executive pay
Executives to Retain Significant Stock.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 338,303 shares
“To approve the shareholder proposal regarding Executives to Retain Significant Stock.”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Pfizer Inc. · 23 April 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder
Should the person who runs Pfizer also chair the board that supervises them?
Shareholders asked the company to require that the chair of the board be an independent director rather than the chief executive, so that the body overseeing management is not led by the person being overseen.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 16,902,019 shares
“Adopt an Independent Chair Policy”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Johnson & Johnson · 23 April 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder
Should the person who runs Johnson & Johnson also chair the board that supervises them?
Shareholders asked the company to require that the chair of the board be an independent director rather than the chief executive, so that the body overseeing management is not led by the person being overseen.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 7,060,750 shares
“Independent Board Chair”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Merck & Co., Inc. · 26 May 2026 · put on the ballot by shareholder · Social
Should Merck disclose the politics its money pays for?
Shareholders asked the company to publish its political spending — direct contributions and money routed through trade associations and other third parties — and whether that spending matches the values the company states publicly.
AGAINST Vanguard Health Care Index Fund voted with 7,353,259 shares
“Shareholder proposal regarding a report on political contributions.”
SourceVanguard World Fund · accession 0001104659-26-102099 · series S000004450 · open the filing
Other funds Vanguard World Fund votes
The same filer reports these alongside this one, in the same annual filing.
Every Vanguard fund we track, and how each one voted →
No 401(k) plan we index offers this fund. It is here because it is widely held outside them: whoever holds it, in an IRA or a brokerage account, the fund votes those shares as shown on this page.
Vote these ballots yourself
See how you would have voted, then what this fund did — one card at a time. Open the full ballot deck for this fund →