4DS - Anything but Charting, page-20014

If you cannot attend an AGM and you want your vote to go any way but the affirmative, you have to indicate your voting preferences, then direct them to a proxy, who will be at the meeting. The chairman is as good a person as any. They just table the tallied proxy votes. It's not some trick to get your votes and register them to the affirmative on all items.

Shareholders associations, as often present at AGMs for big 'uns like Rio TInto will take directed proxies too. You can get a mate to table your proxies too.