Re: [ga] We "decided" to defer the election of our ICANN board seats

[Chris Streatfield <CStreatfield@compuserve.com>]

On 17/09/99 17:35 Nigel Roberts wrote:

>"Mark C. Langston" wrote:
>>
>>> On 17 September 1999, Javier <javier@aui.es> wrote:
>>>
>>> >Kilnam,
>>> >
>>> >Your statement is not correct. As stated in the bylaws, candidates
must be
>>> >nominated by the GA. The NC has decided that candidates much receive
the
>>>                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>>
>>> >support of ten members of the GA to be considered. Anybody subscribed
to
>>> >the GA list, the Announce list or any of the constituency lists is
>>> >considered a member of the GA of the DNSO.
>>> >
>>> >The NC has no role whatsoever in the nominations.
>>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>>
>>> You don't see the contradiction here, do you?
>>>
>>> However, I'll offer you a chance to stick by what you've just said.
>>> Since the NC has no role whatsoever in the nominations, I propose that
>>> the GA hold an election.  In this election, the GA will vote for 3
>>> individuals who maat the necessary criteria for the ICANN BoD.  These
>>> three names will be handed to the NC.  The NC can then deliver them to
>>> the ICANN BoD for us.
>>
>>You are wrong, I am afraid, and Javier is right. The procedure is
>>
>>a)    the GA nominates.
>>b)    the NC votes.
>>
>>The NC as a body plays no part in making nominations. Which is exactly
what
>>I understood Javier to mean.
>>
>>To be duly elected a successful candidate for the ICANN Board from the
DNSO
>>must receive an affirmative vote of more than 50% of the Names Council.
>>
>>Simple, isn't it?

Well it's clear but it is also wide open to manipulation. It is very naive
to suggest that in a situation where the NC want three specific persons
elected, that they cannot find the thirty nominators necessary to ensure
they are on the candidate roll and then elect them.

The point of a "primary" type election in the GA to arrive at three names
acceptable to the GA is to prevent the NC or anyone on their behalf
stuffing the candidate list. If only three names go forward from the GA
then those three must be elected by acclamation, otherwise it will be clear
to the world and the GA in particular that the process is not being
respected. 

Of course in a worst case (perhaps one would say paranoid) scenario there
could be an effort to muster enough voters to get the candidates they want,
but this is much more difficult, depending on the total voter turnout and
other variables, to be certain of success.



All the best

Chris Streatfield
chris@kriss.net

 "A wise man neither lets himself be governed 
 nor seeks to govern others; he wishes that 
 reason should govern alone and always."
 La Bruyere (1688)