Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees/Call for feedback: Community Board seats/Reports/2021-02-16 Conversation with Wikimedians of DRC - User Group

soundtrack of the meeting

Participants

• Mahuton - (Facilitation for French language) Facilitator
• Bachounda - (Facilitation support for French language and MENA region.)(notetaker)
• Zita - (Facilitation for Sub-Saharan Africa region)
• Abel Mbula
• Ir NasiBU VAlentin
• Yves Sefu MAdika
• Nzale Aembe (Marie)

Ideas discussed

Ranked voting system, Quotas, Vetting of candidates, and the Selection Committee

Ranked voting system

Participants said that the new voting system looks complex when compared to the current one, it is not so different. Moreover, it does not really favor under-represented communities. They argued that if under-represented communities don’t have many candidates, they will not have enough chance to get elected even with the new voting system.

Quotas

Participants said that the gender gap is a big problem and we need to take a closer look at it.

Vetting of candidates

Participants said that a basic experience with wikis is enough.

The Selection committee

For participants, having a new selection committee will make the process longer. Participants suggested that the community should have confidence in the board election committee to lead the selection.

New ideas suggested

Participants said that the new system can be inspired from the presidential voting system in the U.S. with elections in parties to determine candidates. They could be electoral regions and in each region a regional election is held, at the end comes a list of candidates,which the whole global community can elect by ranking.

About the process

Participants said that they are happy with the move of the board of having more diversity. They added that even though the candidates will not represent their regions, it brings more of their perspectives and brings in African perspectives.