Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0000092122-25-000032
Chunk: 17

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 17
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 the Company and a recognition that, as a member of the Board, one is accountable to the stockholders of the Company, not to any particular interest group 
 Candidates with diverse backgrounds, skills and experience                                                                                                                    |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |     | Highest degree of integrity and ethical standards 
 Independence from management                      
 Ability to provide sound and informed judgment    
 Financial literacy                                
 Number of other board memberships                 |     |                                                                           |
| 3 |     |                                                                                                                                                                               |     | Meeting with Candidates                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
 Interviews with:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
 4Chairman and CEO                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
 4Lead Independent Director                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |     |                                                   |     | 4Members of Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee 
 4All of the members of the Board                                          |
|   |     | All Board members are provided an opportunity to interview selected candidates and provide feedback                                                                           |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |     |                                                   |     |                                                                           |
| 4 |     |                                                                                                                                                                               |     | Decision and Nomination                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
 Nomination by Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee and approval by full Board                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |     |                                                   |     |                                                                           |
| 5 |     |                                                                                                                                                                               |     | Election                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
 Stockholders consider the nominees and elect Directors at the annual meeting to serve one-year terms. The Board may also elect Directors on the recommendation of the Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee throughout the year, following the same process, when determined to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. |     |                                                   |     |                                                                           |

| Result                                                                         
 We have nominated five new highly qualified Directors in the past three years. |

#### Southern Company2025 Proxy Statement15

#### Governance

#### Stockholder Nomination of Directors
Proxy access generally refers to the right of stockholders who meet certain ownership thresholds to nominate one or more Directors to the Board and have the nominees included in the Company’s proxy materials and on the Company’s proxy card.

We have proxy access provisions in our By-Laws. The key terms are as follows.

| Any stockholder or group of up to 20 stockholders maintaining continuous qualifying ownership of at least 3% of our outstanding shares for at least three years can nominate, and include in our proxy materials, Director nominees constituting the greater of two nominees or 20% (rounded down) of the number of Directors in our proxy materials for the next annual meeting. |

Nominating stock