Hi all,
As per our current FSA, when a board member resigns, we hold a public election to replace them. In preparation for this, I've drafted the following election procedure. Please review and contribute your suggestions for improvement. Copyedits welcomed too! I'll post a final copy for voting on when it's ready.
I've adapted this from some of the earlier elections we've had, formalizing things a bit here and there. I've also taken ideas from X.org's election process where they appeared to have better mechanics. In particular, I've dispensed with our nomination/seconds system (which is awkward and inevitably leads to a mess of declines) and just ask that candidates indicate interest by registering. Also of note, I'm specifying STV as the voting method; it's basically the multiple-person form of IRV. I assume this is going to be fine with everyone, but please do raise any concerns.
Martin Owens says Django has modules for STV (and IRV) voting, so we can consider doing the voting through the website rather than on the mailing list. This might be easier to manage, as well as give a little more privacy. I'd particularly like to hear thoughts on this.
Bryce
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Inkscape is holding elections for ${NUM_SEATS} new Board Members.
${Introduction_Text}
Typically the board votes on things such as project fund expenditures (travel, conferences, marketing materials for events, etc), trademark related issue, other legal issues that arise, etc. The board does not have responsibility currently for technical decisions for the project, and does not handle social/community issues where there are no financial or legal aspects to the problem.
Board membership requires a commitment of time: At a minimum you will be expected to participate in votes on the mailing list, which typically occur with a frequency of about 0 to 3 per month. You are required to be on the board mailing list, which has a volume of about 30-50 emails per month; you're not required to participate in the discussions, but it is very strongly encouraged. We also solicit volunteers from the board to serve as as event managers, team leaders, fundraising coordinators, etc. - Again, not a requirement, but we value board members who can shoulder such duties for the project.
As specified in Section 6 or our charter we maintain a committee of seven project members. Section 6 reads as follows:
"6. Representation of the Project in the Conservancy. The Developers, each a signatory hereto, shall represent the Project in its official communication with the Conservancy. There shall be seven Developers (together, the "Committee"), elected by the community members of the Project listed in the Project's AUTHORS file (the "Community Members"). Each Developer shall continue to serve until he or she resigns from the position. The Developers may be removed from the position at any time by a majority vote of the Community Members. Upon the resignation or removal of a Developer, the Community Members shall elect a replacement Developer to serve on the Committee. The Committee will elect a single individual to communicate with the Conservancy (the "Representative") and shall notify the Conservancy promptly following the election of a new Representative. The Representative will have the authority to instruct the Conservancy on the Project's behalf on all matters. This section may be modified by a vote of at least 3/4 of the Community Members, with the consent of the Conservancy, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld."
Election Schedule ================= * Kickoff Announcement: ${date} + Post to inkscape-announce@ + Publish news item to website * Candidacy period Start: ${date} * Candidacy period End: ${date + 1 week} (Midnight Pacific time) * Publication of Candidates & start of Candidate Q&A: ${date + 1 week} * Election Start: ${date + 1 week} * Election End: ${date + 1 week + 2 weeks} (Midnight Pacific time) * Results Posted: ${date + 1 week + 2 weeks + 2 days}
Membership ========== Inkscape developers listed in the AUTHORS file as of ${AUTHORS_DATE} are considered Official Members for purposes of this election, as per our Fiscale Sponsorship Agreement with the Software Freedom Conservancy. Only Official Members may run for the board positions, and only Official Members may vote for them.
Board Election ============== The following Board Members have resigned from their positions and need to be filled by new members:
TBD TBD
The election process starts with a Candidacy Period during which any Official Member may indicate interest in running for the positions. To register, please email ${ELECTIONS_ADDRESS}, giving your
- Legal name - Current professional affiliation - Statement of contribution to Inkscape or related technologies - A personal statement
At the end of the Candidacy Period, the applicants will be reviewed to verify eligibility. The list of candidates will then by published, and the community will have a chance to ask questions on the development discussion list, inkscape-devel@...103...
Finally, the election will be held using the Single Transferrable Vote (STV) voting system[1]. This is similar in mechanism to the Instant Runoff Vote (IRV) system we've used in the past[2], but for multi-seat results rather than the single-winner result of IRV. From a voter's perspective it's the same voting procedure: Rank candidates in order of choice with #1 being first choice, and so on.
References ========== 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_transferable_vote
2: Past elections: 2006 Election + http://inkscape.13.x6.nabble.com/Election-process-for-Inkscape-Board-tt28055... 2008 Election + http://t48889.graphics-inkscape-development.graphictalk.us/opening-inkscape-... 2012 Election + http://inkscape.13.x6.nabble.com/Inkscape-Board-Election-voting-time-tt49652... + http://inkscape.13.x6.nabble.com/Inkscape-Board-Committee-Nominations-tc4965...