of the numbers. He called a “withhold” vote of that magnitude significant.

Tribune has been doing its best to hold off Gannett, adopting a shareholder rights plan meant to make a takeover more difficult and bringing in a new big investor, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, as an ally in its ambitious transformation project.

The vote totals, if confirmed by Tribune, may undermine its stance. “Legally, the board is elected,” said David Larcker, a professor at Stanford’s business school who specializes in accounting and corporate governance. “But I think any board, particularly the independent board members of Tribune, they would take this as serious information.”

Gannett probably can’t buy Tribune unless the board revokes its shareholder rights plan, he saidSeveral large Tribune investors have already publicly urged Ferro to work on a deal with Gannett. One small investor filed suit against the Tribune board in the Court of Chancery in Delaware on Wednesday night, ahead of the vote. The investor, Capital Structures Realty Advisors LLC, said in its complaint that directors breached their duty by “refusing to negotiate with Gannett in good faith.” In a statement, a Tribune spokesman said the company is reviewing the complaint.

Gannett wants Tribune so it can cut costs and sell more ads. But Tribune, with a chairman and CEO that just came on board this year, has its own plan to make the Los Angeles Times a global brand and use technology to squeeze more revenue from digital ads.