AFAIK when you loan out share you still keep the right to vote
Oh man!!! You are so WRONG!!!!!
Per Fidelity....
VOTING RIGHTS
When you loan your shares, you relinquish voting rights.
However, if you want to vote your shares, you can recall your loan in advance of the record date.
Shares purchased from a naked short seller (ONLY THE MMS CAN DO THIS) will receive proxies...
If they are billions of shares in float and several million are naked, one would most likely NEVER uncover the true naked position, because many shares go unvoted. However, in NWBO's case if there is legitimacy to the 1B naked short rumor....then having a controversial item, on the agenda, will draw out the vast majority of the voters...thus the votes cast will be higher than the authorized shares....
Again, the company is not looking to legitimize their options...This was already done!!! This vote is to draw out as many votes as possible to ascertain the naked short issue...Again...Just in time for discovery!!!!!!