Chapter-selected Board seats/2014 resolution

Proposed resolution for instituting a process by which the Wikimedia chapters and thematic organizations select two board members (the "Chapter Selected Board Seats"). This process would be used every two years until replaced with a different system.

This is a draft. Please make all edits and comments by 23:59 UTC on 31 January 2014; voting on the proposal will begin shortly afterward. This deadline is to ensure that Board members can be selected on schedule.

Resolution text

Whereas the Wikimedia chapters and thematic organizations (collectively, "the affiliate organizations") are responsible for selecting two members of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees during even-numbered years,

Whereas it is necessary for the affiliate organizations to agree on a process by which such Board members are selected, and

Whereas the Foundation's bylaws require that the selection process be determined by the Board of Trustees and a majority of the affiliate organizations,

We, the affiliate organizations, resolve that:

1. There shall be an election among the affiliate organizations to determine the two Board members selected by the affiliate organizations.

2. There shall be three Election Facilitators who are jointly responsible for overseeing and carrying out the election. Election Facilitators shall not be candidates in the election and shall not endorse any candidate nor shall they participate in any public discussions of candidates' merits. Where they are Board members of organizations voting in the election they are expected to recuse themselves from any decision about how the organization's vote is cast.

3. James Hare, [Person 2], and [Person 3] shall serve as Election Facilitators until the conclusion of the 2014 election process. For subsequent elections, the Election Facilitators shall be selected by the consensus of the affiliate organizations no later than March 1 of each even-numbered year. Those who wish to serve as Election Facilitators shall indicate their interest on a designated Meta-Wiki page.

4. The Election Facilitators shall determine the dates of each biennial election, provided that there is a nomination period of at least 30 days, a nomination finalization period of at least 15 days, and a period for discussion and voting of at least 45 days.

5. Candidates who seek to represent the affiliate organizations on the Board of Trustees shall post their names and nomination statements on a designated Meta-Wiki page. For a candidate to be listed on the ballot, he or she must submit a nomination statement during the nomination period and shall have secured the written endorsement of at least one affiliate organization.

6. The Election Facilitators shall conduct voting through a designated page on the private Chapters Wiki in the form of a table. The Election Facilitators shall ensure that each organization has access to this wiki. Each organization shall rank candidates in order of preference, with a vote of "1" indicating the strongest preference. If the same number is used to rank more than one candidate, it shall be deemed a statement of equal preference, with the organization's vote split equally among the candidates selected. An organization leaving a candidate unranked shall not count as a vote for or against such candidate. A majority of organizations voting during the election period shall constitute a quorum. Votes cast following the conclusion of the election period are invalid.

7. Within 15 days of the conclusion of the voting period, the Election Facilitators shall calculate the outcome of the election in the manner of the single transferable vote, using the Droop quota to determine the number of votes needed to be elected. The Election Facilitators shall announce the results to the Board of Trustees and to the Wikimedia community, and publish the calculations used to determine the outcome of the election to allow others to check the results.