Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000092122-25-000036
Chunk: 1

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 1
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 of Incorporation to Reducethe Supermajority Vote Requirement to a Majority Vote |     |  82 |
| ITEMS 5-8Vote onFourStockholder Proposals                                                                                              |     |  84 |
| Stock Ownership Information                                                                                                            |     |  91 |
| FAQsabout Voting and the Annual Meeting                                                                                                |     |  93 |
| Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Information                                                                                                 |     |  98 |
| Cautionary Note RegardingForward-Looking Statements                                                                                    |     |  99 |
| Appendix A - Definitions of Key Terms                                                                                                  |     | 101 |
| Appendix B - Benefit Plan Summary                                                                                                      |     | 102 |

Southern Company is a holding company that conducts its business through its subsidiaries; accordingly, unless the context otherwise requires, references in this proxy statement to Southern Company’s operations, such as generating activities, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and employment practices, refer to those operations conducted through its subsidiaries.

Links to websites included in this proxy statement are provided solely for convenience purposes. Content on the websites, including content on our Company website, is not, and shall not be deemed to be, part of this proxy statement or incorporated herein or into any of our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

See Appendix A - Definitions of Key Terms on page 101 for many key terms and acronyms used in this proxy statement.

#### Southern Company2025 Proxy Statement1
Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Southern Company

| Date and time                                                                                                        
 Wednesday, May 21, 2025                                                                                              
 10:00 a.m., ET                                                                                                       |     | Record date                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 Stockholders of record at the close of business on March 31, 2025 are entitled to attend and vote at the annual meeting. On that date, there were 1,100,193,640 shares of common stock of Southern Company outstanding and entitled to vote. 
 On April 11, 2025, these proxy materials and our annual report are being mailed or made available to stockholders.                                                                                                                           |
| Access the Annual Meeting                                                                                            
 Stockholders may participate in the virtual annual meeting by logging in atwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SO2025. |     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |

### Items of Business
Stockholders are being asked to vote on the agenda items described below and to consider any other business properly brought before the 2025 annual meeting and any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.

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