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Q:	Upon what may I vote?

A:	(1)     Election of director nominees to serve on the Board;

(2)	Approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of CTS’ named executive officers;

(3)	Ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as CTS’ independent auditor for 2018; and

(4)	Approval of the CTS Corporation 2018 Equity and Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2018 Plan”).

Q:	How does the Board recommend that I vote?

A:	The Board recommends that you vote:

(1)	FOR each of the director nominees identified in this proxy statement;

(2)	FOR advisory approval of CTS’ named executive officer compensation;

(3)	FOR ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as CTS’ independent auditor for 2018; and

(4)	FOR approval of the 2018 Plan.

Q:	How will voting on any other business be conducted?

A:

We are not aware of any other business to be brought before the shareholders at the Annual Meeting other than as described in this proxy statement. However, if any other business is properly presented for shareholder consideration, your signed proxy card gives authority to Kieran O’Sullivan, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Luis F. Machado, Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, to vote on those matters at their discretion.

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Q:	How many votes are needed for approval of each proposal presented in this proxy statement?

A:	Assuming that at least a majority of the shares of CTS common stock are represented at the Annual Meeting, either in person or by proxy:

(1)	The seven director nominees receiving the most votes will be elected. Only votes cast for a nominee will have an impact on the election of directors. Abstentions, broker non‑votes and instructions on your proxy to withhold authority to vote for one or more of the nominees will have no impact as they will only result in those nominees receiving fewer votes;

(2)	An affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast is necessary to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of CTS’ named executive officers, although such vote will not be binding on CTS. Abstentions and broker non‑votes will have no impact on the outcome of this proposal;

(3)

The Audit Committee’s appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as CTS’ independent auditor for 2018 will be ratified if a majority of the votes cast support the appointment. Your broker or other nominee will be able to vote your shares with respect to this proposal without your instructions because the proposal to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP is considered “routine.” Abstentions will have no impact on the outcome of this proposal; and

(4)	An affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast is necessary to approve the 2018 Plan. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no impact on the outcome of this proposal.

Q:	Who is entitled to vote?

A:	Shareholders of record at the close of business on March 19, 2018, which is referred to in this proxy statement as the Record Date, are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of close of business on the Record Date, there were 33,017,770 shares of CTS common stock issued and outstanding. Every shareholder is entitled to one vote for each share of CTS common stock held on the Record Date.

Q:	How do I vote?

A:

Please follow the instructions on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to vote online or by telephone up until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 16, 2018. Of course, you may always vote in person at the meeting. You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is exercised by giving us written notice, sent to our principal executive offices, by submitting a duly executed proxy card to us bearing a later date, or by giving notice to us at the Annual Meeting.

Q:	How can I vote shares of CTS common stock that I hold under the CTS Corporation Retirement Savings Plan?

A:

The CTS Corporation Retirement Savings Plan is CTS’ 401(k) plan. Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company ("Vanguard"), the plan trustee, will vote the shares of CTS common stock in your account according to your instructions. You may use the proxy card provided or go online at www.proxyvote.com to instruct Vanguard. You must provide instructions or make changes to your instructions on how to vote shares of CTS common stock in your CTS Corporation Retirement Savings Plan on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 15, 2018. After that time, your instructions will be transmitted to the plan trustee and cannot be changed. If Vanguard does not receive your instructions to vote your shares of CTS common stock, they will not be voted.

Q:	Who is entitled to attend the Annual Meeting?

A:

Attendance at the Annual Meeting will be limited to our shareholders as of the Record Date and to pre‑approved guests of CTS. All shareholder guests must be pre‑approved by CTS and will be limited to spouses, persons required for medical assistance and properly authorized representatives of our shareholders as of the Record Date. Additionally, if you are not the record holder of your shares, to attend the Annual Meeting you must first obtain a legal proxy form from your broker or other organization that holds your shares. Please contact your broker or organization for instructions regarding obtaining a legal proxy. If you do obtain a legal proxy and plan to attend the Annual Meeting, you will be required to present a valid form of identification.

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Q:	Who solicits proxies on behalf of the Board and how much will this proxy solicitation cost?

A:	Broadridge, Inc. distributes proxy materials on CTS’ behalf and is compensated by CTS for mailing and distribution expenses. Proxies may also be solicited by executive officers of CTS, for which no additional compensation is paid.

Q:	How can I receive paper or email copies of the proxy materials?

A:

Shareholders wishing to receive paper or email copies of the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting and for future annual meetings of shareholders may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail, or electronically by email, by directing written or oral requests to CTS Corporation, Corporate Secretary, 4925 Indiana Avenue, Lisle, Illinois 60532, by calling (630) 577‑8800 and leaving a message for our Corporate Secretary, by sending an email to shareholder.services@ctscorp.com by May 4, 2018, or by following the directions on your proxy card.

Q:	How may a shareholder nominate a candidate for election to the Board?

A:

Director nominees for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders may be nominated by shareholders by sending a written notice to the corporate office to the attention of the Corporate Secretary for CTS. Pursuant to the CTS Corporation Bylaws, all nominations must be received no earlier than January 2, 2019, and no later than February 16, 2019. The notice of nomination is required to contain certain representations and information about the nominee, which are described in CTS’ Bylaws. Copies of the Bylaws may be obtained free of charge from CTS’ Corporate Secretary, or from CTS’ website at http://www.ctscorp.com/wp-content/uploads/BL.pdf.

Q:	When are shareholder proposals for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders due?

A:

CTS’ advance notice Bylaw provisions require that in order to be presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, any shareholder proposal, including the nomination of a candidate for director, must be in writing and mailed to the corporate office to the attention of the Corporate Secretary for CTS, and must be received no earlier than January 2, 2019 and no later than February 16, 2019. Certain information is required to be included with shareholder proposals, which is described in CTS’ Bylaws. Copies of the Bylaws may be obtained free of charge from CTS’ Corporate Secretary, or from CTS’ website at http://www.ctscorp.com/wp-content/uploads/BL.pdf. To be included in our proxy materials relating to the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders proposals must be received by us on or before December 6, 2018, (or, if the date of the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is more than 30 days before or after the date of the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, a reasonable time before we begin to print and send our proxy materials).

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•	balancing fixed pay versus incentive‑based compensation appropriately;

•	selecting appropriate and broad‑based performance metrics;

•	establishing reasonable performance thresholds;

•	capping performance‑based compensation awards at certain maximum levels;

•	requiring multiple‑year performance periods for certain performance‑based awards; and

•	vesting a significant amount of equity compensation over multi‑year periods.

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•	Total outstanding full-value awards (RSUs), assuming that the outstanding awards achieve maximum performance: 739,711 Common Shares (2.24 percent of outstanding Common Shares);

•	Outstanding stock options: 295,000 Common Shares (.89 percent of outstanding Common Shares) (outstanding stock options have a weighted average exercise price of $18.37 and an average remaining term of 2.2 years);

•	Total Common Shares subject to outstanding awards as described above (stock options and RSUs): 1,034,711 Common Shares (3.13 percent of outstanding Common Shares);

•	Total Common Shares currently available for future awards under the 2014 Plan: 50,057 Common Shares (.15 percent of outstanding Common Shares);

•	The total number of Common Shares subject to outstanding awards (1,034,711 Common Shares), plus the total number of Common Shares currently available for future awards under the 2014 Plan (50,057 Common Shares), represents a current overhang percentage of 3.29 percent (potential dilution represented by the 2014 Plan);

•

Proposed Common Shares available for awards under the 2018 Plan: Our new Common Share request is for 2,500,000 Common Shares. This would essentially encompass the 50,057 Common Shares currently remaining available for awards under the 2014 Plan and an additional 2,449,943 Common Shares. A request for 2,500,000 Common Shares represents about 7.6 percent of our outstanding Common Shares, this percentage reflects the dilution of our shareholders that could occur if the 2018 Plan is approved; and

•	The total Common Shares subject to outstanding awards as of March 19, 2018 (739,711 Common Shares), plus the proposed Common Shares available for awards under the 2018 Plan (2,500,000 Common Shares), represent a total overhang of 3,239,711 Common Shares (9.8 percent of outstanding Common Shares) under the 2018 Plan.

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•	the maximum number of Common Shares that may be issued or transferred upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options (as defined below) will not exceed the total Common Share pool for the 2018 Plan as described above; and

•	in no event will any non-employee director in any calendar year be granted compensation for such service having an aggregate maximum value (measured at the date of grant as applicable, and calculating the value of any equity awards based on the grant date fair value for financial reporting purposes) in excess of $500,000.

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•

Stock Options: Stock options represent rights to purchase Common Shares at a specified exercise price. The exercise price of stock options granted under the 2018 Plan may not be less than the fair market value of a common share on the date of grant, unless such grant is in substitution or assumption of another stock option in accordance with plan terms. Options may take the form of incentive stock options or nonqualified stock options, but incentive stock options may only be granted to employees under Section 3401(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Options may not have a term of more than 10 years, and may not provide for any dividends or dividend equivalents.

•

SARs: SARs represent rights to receive the difference between the fair market value of a Common Share on the date of exercise and the exercise price, payable in cash or Common Shares. The exercise price of SARs granted under the 2018 plan may not be less than the fair market value of a common share on the date of grant, unless such grant is in substitution or assumption of another SAR in accordance with plan terms. SARs may not have a term of more than 10 years and may not provide for any dividends or dividend equivalents.

•	Restricted Stock: Restricted stock represents Common Shares subject to certain terms and restrictions and the risk of forfeiture. Any dividends or other distributions on Restricted Stock (but only to the extent such award itself provides for dividends or other distributions thereon) will be deferred until and paid contingent upon the earning or vesting of the underlying award.

•

Restricted Stock Units: RSUs represent the right to receive Common Shares or an amount equal to the fair market value of such Common Shares, payable in cash or Common Shares, subject to certain restrictions and/or the risk of forfeiture. Any dividends or other distributions on RSUs (but only to the extent such award itself provides for dividends or other distributions thereon) will be deferred until and paid contingent upon the earning or vesting of the underlying award.

•

Performance Shares: Performance shares represent an award, denominated in Common Shares, which is earned during a specified performance period subject to the attainment of one or more performance measures. Any dividends or other distributions on performance shares (but only to the extent such award itself provides for dividends or other distributions thereon) will be deferred until and paid contingent upon the earning or vesting of the underlying award.

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Performance Units: Performance units represent an award, denominated in currency-valued units, which is earned during a specified performance period subject to the attainment of one or more performance measures. Any dividends or other distributions on performance units (but only to the extent such award itself provides for dividends or other distributions thereon) will be deferred until and paid contingent upon the earning or vesting of the underlying award.

•	Cash Incentive Awards: Cash incentive awards are cash awards that are earned during a specified performance period subject to the attainment of one or more performance criteria.

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Other Stock Awards: Other stock awards are awards of Common Shares or other awards based in whole or in part on the value of a Common Share (such as dividend equivalents) or related to Common Shares, payable in Common Shares, cash, other securities, or other property. Any dividends or other distributions on other stock awards (but only to the extent such award itself provides for dividends or other distributions thereon) will be deferred until and paid contingent upon the earning or vesting of the underlying award.

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•	The 2018 Plan shall not be construed to give a Participant the right to continue as an employee or director of CTS and a Participant will not have any rights as a shareholder unless and until Common Shares are actually issued.

•	Any rights under the 2018 Plan are not assignable by a Participant except by will or by the applicable laws of descent and distribution, unless otherwise determined by the Compensation Committee. In no event will any award granted under the 2018 Plan be transferred for value.

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Subject to the approval of the Board where required, the Compensation Committee may amend or terminate the 2018 Plan in whole or in part; provided that no amendment or termination may be made without shareholder approval that would materially increase the maximum number of Common Shares that may be issued under the 2018 Plan (except for adjustments permitted under the 2018 Plan), materially change the class of eligible Participants, permit the repricing of outstanding options or SARs (other than as provided for in the 2018 Plan) or otherwise require shareholder approval. Except for adjustments permitted under the 2018 Plan, no amendment of an award by the Compensation Committee (as permitted under the 2018 Plan) may materially impair any right of a Participant under an award without that Participant’s consent, except as necessary to comply with changes in law or accounting rules applicable to CTS.

•	The Compensation Committee may adopt, amend, or terminate arrangements to make tax or other benefits available to Participants subject to laws of a foreign jurisdiction or to conform with such laws.

•	The 2018 Plan shall be governed by the laws of the State of Indiana, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

•	CTS reserves the right to make certain amendments to the 2018 Plan related to compliance with Section 409A of the Code.

•	The 2018 Plan provides that award agreements may contain an award “clawback” feature or reference a clawback policy or provisions.

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(1)

The first and total rows of this column include 661,032 restricted stock units representing service-based and performance-based awards assuming achievement at target, which are settled in CTS common stock. Achievement of the maximum performance-based awards would total 1,200,750 shares of CTS common stock as settlement. Restricted stock units have no bearing on the weighted-average exercise price in column (b).

(2)

In 1990, CTS adopted the Stock Retirement Plan for Non-Employee Directors. Prior to December 1, 2004, CTS annually credited an account for each non-employee director with 800 CTS common stock units. CTS also annually credited each deferred stock account with an additional number of CTS common stock units representing the amount of dividends which would have been paid on an equivalent number of shares of CTS common stock for each quarter during the preceding calendar year. As of December 1, 2004, this plan was amended to preclude crediting any additional CTS common stock units under the plan. Upon retirement, a participating non-employee director is entitled to receive one share of CTS common stock for each CTS common stock unit in his deferred stock account.

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•	Is not an employee of CTS and has not been an employee of CTS for at least five years;

•	Is not an affiliate of CTS other than in the capacity as a director, and has not been an affiliate of CTS for at least five years;

•	Is not an employee or affiliate of CTS’ present auditing firm or an auditing firm retained by CTS within the past five years and has not been an employee or affiliate of such a firm for at least five years;

•	Is not an employee of a company on whose board an executive of CTS presently serves as a director or has served as a director within the past five years and has not been an employee of such a company for at least five years;

•	Is not an employee of a company that accounts for at least 2% or $1 million, whichever is greater, of CTS’ consolidated gross revenues, and has not been an employee of such a company for at least five years;

•	Is not an employee of any company which made payments to or received payments from CTS which exceeded 2% or $1 million, whichever is greater, of that company’s consolidated gross revenues, and has not been an employee of such a company for at least five years;

•	Is not an employee or director of any company that makes direct material investments or trades in CTS stock or that regularly advises investors concerning CTS stock;

•	Does not presently receive any direct or material indirect compensation from CTS other than compensation attributable to the director’s service as a member of the Board and its committees;

•	Has not received more than $10,000 per year in direct compensation from CTS during the past five years, excluding compensation attributable to the director’s service as a member of the Board and its committees;

•	Does not have any other relationship with CTS or any other entity, including charitable and civic organizations that in the opinion of the Board could be considered to effect the director’s ability to exercise his independent judgment as a director; and

•	Is not an immediate family member of any individual who would fail to meet the criteria for independence set forth above.

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•	Preside at all meetings of the Board at which the Chairman is not present, including executive sessions of the independent directors;

•	Approve meeting agendas and schedules for the Board;

•	Review key strategic initiatives presented to the Board;

•	Serve as a liaison between the Chairman and the independent directors. To that end, ensure personal availability for consultation and communication with independent directors and with the Chief Executive Officer, as appropriate;

•	Call special meetings of the independent directors, as the Lead Independent Director may deem to be appropriate;

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•	Be available, at the request of major shareholders, for consultation and direct communication. Respond directly to shareholder and other stakeholder questions and comments that are directed to the Lead Independent Director or to the independent directors as a group, consulting on such with the Chief Executive Officer or other directors as the Lead Independent Director may deem appropriate;

•	Act as a sounding board for the Chief Executive Officer and/or independent directors with respect to strategies, plans, organization, relationships, accountabilities, and other issues;

•	Between regularly scheduled Board meetings discuss with the Chief Executive Officer key corporate risks and current issues and plans for presentations on such to the full Board or its committees;

•	Lead the independent directors in appraising the Chief Executive Officer’s performance at least annually; and

•	Lead the directors in appraising the Board’s performance at least annually.

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(1)	As reported on Schedule 13G filed on January 19, 2018, BlackRock, Inc., a parent holding company, has sole voting power with respect to 4,111,040 shares and sole dispositive power with respect to 4,175,414 shares.

(2)

As reported on Schedule 13F filed on February 2, 2018, GAMCO Investors, Inc., Gabelli Funds, LLC and their affiliates have sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 3,080,355 shares. The Reporting Persons beneficially own those shares as follows: GAMCO Investors, Inc. had sole voting and sole dispositive power with respect to 2,314,355; and Gabelli Funds LLC has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 766,000 shares.

(3)	As reported on Schedule 13G filed on February 9, 2018, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has sole voting power with respect to 2,666,642 and sole dispositive power with respect to 2,723,993 shares. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP disclaims beneficial ownership of these shares, which are owned by funds for which it acts as investment manager.

(4)

As reported on Schedule 13G filed on February 8, 2018, Wellington Management Group LLP, Wellington Group Holdings LLP, and Wellington Investment Advisors Holdings LLP have shared voting power with respect to 2,024,421 shares and shared dispositive and voting power with respect to 2,535,671 shares. Wellington Management Company LLP has shared voting power with respect to 2,011,001 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to 2,522,251 shares.

(5)	As reported on Schedule 13G filed on February 8, 2018, The Vanguard Group has sole voting power with respect to 36,674 shares; shared voting power with respect to 8,433 shares; sole dispositive power with respect to 1,807,358 shares; and shared dispositive power with respect to 41,640 shares.

(6)	As reported on Schedule 13G filed on February 13, 2018, Janus Henderson Group plc has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,755,175 shares. Janus Henderson Group plc also reported that it did not have the right to receive any dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, the shares and disclaims any ownership associated with such rights.

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*	Represents less than 1% of the outstanding shares of CTS common stock

(1)	Includes shares of CTS common stock which will vest within 60 days of March 19, 2018.

(2)	Includes Restricted Stock Units that are distributable upon the director’s separation from service and convert on a one‑to‑one basis to shares of CTS common stock upon distribution.

(3)	No director or executive officer has pledged his or her shares of CTS common stock.

(4)	Excludes 1,800 shares held by Mr. Profusek’s spouse. Mr. Profusek disclaims any beneficial interest with respect to these shares.

(5)	Mr. Zulueta had not yet been appointed a director as of March 19, 2018.

•	Mr. Kieran O’Sullivan, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer;

•	Mr. Ashish Agrawal, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and

•	Mr. Luis F. Machado, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.

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•	Offer Competitive Compensation. CTS seeks to provide a competitive level of compensation in order to attract, retain, and motivate highly qualified and talented executives;

•	Link Compensation to Performance. CTS seeks to optimize the performance of each executive by tying a substantial portion of compensation to achievement of financial and operational goals; and

•	Align Compensation with Shareholder Interests. CTS seeks to align the interests of its executives with shareholders by paying a significant portion of compensation in the form of equity that vests over time.

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•	apportioning fixed pay versus incentive‑based compensation in an appropriate balance;

•	selecting appropriate and broad‑based performance metrics;

•	establishing reasonable performance thresholds;

•	capping performance‑based compensation awards at certain maximum levels;

•	requiring multiple‑year performance periods for certain performance‑based awards; and

•	vesting a significant portion of equity compensation over multiple‑year periods.

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(1)	Amounts shown reflect regular base earnings for the calendar year 2017, and will vary from the base salary referenced elsewhere in this report as result of effective date of increases.

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(1)	Numbers shown reflect regular base earnings for each calendar year which varies from the base salary referenced elsewhere in this report.

(2)

The amounts reported in the “Stock Awards” column represent the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 of stock awards granted during the year. Amounts reflected consist of service‑based and performance‑based awards. For the performance‑based awards reported in this column for 2017, such amounts are based on the probable outcome of the relevant performance conditions as of the grant date and therefore are at target. Assuming that the highest level of performance is achieved for these awards, the grant date fair value of these awards would be: Mr. O’Sullivan, $1,770,923; Mr. Agrawal, $583,163; Mr. Machado, $447,595.

(3)	Amounts represent payments earned under the MIP in respect of that year's performance and paid in the subsequent year.

(4)	Amounts in this column for 2017 reflect values for financial planning, tax preparation services and a CTS match under the 401(k) Plan.

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(1)	The 2017 Management Incentive Plan is governed by the 2014 Performance and Incentive Compensation Plan.

(2)	In February of 2017, the Compensation Committee established terms applicable to performance‑based equity compensation awards for fiscal years 2017‑2019 under the CTS Corporation 2014 Performance and Incentive Compensation Plan. Restricted stock units for achievement of the performance goals will be issued in 2020 following certification of 2019 fiscal year results by CTS’ independent auditors.

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(1)

In May of 2015, the Compensation Committee established terms applicable to the Performance Vesting Stock Option Plan under the CTS Corporation 2014 Performance and Incentive Compensation Plan. These Performance Options will vest only upon achievement of $600 million in revenue in any trailing four quarters within the five year performance period. If the performance metric is not met within the five year performance period, the Options will not vest and be forfeited.

(2)	Any award issued under the three-year performance program will vest following certification of the Company’s financial results for the last year of the measurement period.

(3)	Mr. O’Sullivan’s 57,246 service‑based Restricted Stock Units have vested or will vest as follows: 8,360 on February 9, 2018; 20,634 on February 16, 2018; 8,360 on February 9, 2019; 11,532 on February 16, 2019; and 8,360 on February 9, 2020.

(4)	Mr. Agrawal’s 18,717 service‑based Restricted Stock Units have vested or will vest as follows: 2,961 on February 9, 2018; 6,251 on February 16, 2018; 2,962 on February 9, 2019; 3,582 on February 16, 2019; and 2,961 on February 9, 2020.

(5)	Mr. Machado’s 15,344 service‑based Restricted Stock Units will vest as follows: 2,235 on February 9, 2018; 2,987 on February 16, 2018; 2,666 on October 30, 2018; 2,235 on February 9, 2019; 2,986 on February 16, 2019; and 2,235 on February 9, 2020.

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(1)

Assuming that only a change‑in‑control event occurred on December 31, 2017, in terms of their equity awards, our named executive officers would have received the following value for the "single trigger" acceleration of their outstanding time-based Restricted Stock Units, performance-based RSUs and performance options, respectively: Mr. O'Sullivan, $1,474,085, $3,286,215, and $738,000; Mr. Agrawal, $481,963, $1,028,790, and $258,300; and Mr. Machado, $395,108, $360,500, and $224,500.

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(1)	Certain Director's compensation for Committee Services is prorated based on election in May of 2017.

(2)

On November 8, 2017, 3,700 Restricted Stock Units were awarded to each then serving non‑employee director for 2018 service based on an average closing price of CTS common stock of $26.20 per share. The dollar amounts reported in this column represent the grant date fair value of such awards as computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, equal to the number of units awarded multiplied by the $26.20 closing price of CTS’ common stock on the date of grant. These awards will vest on the first anniversary of the grant date and will be distributed upon vesting absent a deferral election by the director. All directors elected to defer distribution until their retirement from the Board. The non‑employee directors had no other unvested stock awards outstanding at 2017 fiscal year‑end.

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