ICANN/DNSO

The Names Council resolved to use a http://www.dnso.org/dnso/notes/conventionstyle.html Convention-Style voting procedure to elect three ICANN Board members.

The DNSO secretariat will keep votes secret untill the end of election period, and at the end make all records public.

According to the current nominations, it is expected that the initial list of nominees will have candidates from all 5 regions.

Convention-Style Voting adapted to the DNSO conditions.

1. Preliminary round via email.

The purpose of the preliminary round is to learn (practice of voting procedure by the NC) and to show relative preferences between nominees. It was resolved that no candidates will be be eliminated in the preliminary round.

Each member of the NC cast 3 votes, for different nominees.

The geographic diversity (GD) is not taken into account at this stage.

Time:

      Begins: Saturday October 9, 18:00 CET
      Ends:   Sunday October 10, 18:00 CET

      (was Ends: Monday October 11, 14:00 CET, modified by the NCtelecon Oct 5th)

19 voting NC members, 3 votes each, 57 total.

• the secretariat emails a ballot to each NC member, along with a deadline for the ballot to be received;
• each NC member emails his/her vote back to the secretariat;
• the secretariat tallies the votes;

The results will be given within one hour after the close of the preliminary round, and will allow NC members to discuss strategies before the begginig of the NC telecon.

2. Election of the first candidate, 3 years term at the ICANN Board.

   Each NC member votes for one nominee.

   First round during the NC telecon:

   
         Begins: Monday October 11, 15:00 CET
         Ends:   Monday October 11, 17:00 CET
   

   • during the telecon the secretariat emails a ballot to each NC member, and gives by phone all nominees;
   • each NC member emails his/her vote back to the secretariat; those of NC members who cannot email during the telecon, call the special phone number provided by the secretariat and give their choice;
   • the nominees are ranked by the number of votes received, and the NC is informed of the result;
   • the lowest vote-getting nominee is eliminated from the list; [For the first round, all nominees receiving zero votes *and* the lowest vote-getting nominee are eliminated from the list.]
   • the procedure is repeated with the new (reduced) list;
   • a winner is declared when a nominee receives 10 or more of the NC's 19 votes.

   It may happen that after 2 hours of telecon and voting the processus is not yet ended. In such a situation the next NC telecon is convened for Tuesday October 12, 15:00 CET, and:

   • the secretariat emails a ballot to each NC member, on Monday October 11, just after the end of a telecon;
   • each NC member shall emails his/her vote back to the secretariat within next 21 hours, and before the Tuesday October 12, 14:00 CET.

   The voting may continue during the additional NC telecon:

   
         Begins: Tuesday October 12, 15:00 CET
         Ends:   Tuesday October 12, 17:00 CET
   
   

   After the election of the first candidate for 3 years term at the ICANN Board, the corresponding geographic region will eliminate some candidates from a list of nominees.

   NC members are given 21 hours time for establishing strategies for second round.

   *** If the GD is not achieved or the vote is deadlocked, because there are no nominees who have received 10 affirmative votes, the NC will elect only as many ICANN Board members as possible, and the NC will issue an additional call for nomination for missing regions ***

3. Election of the second candidate, 2 years term at the ICANN Board.

   Each NC member votes for one nominee.

   Second round.

   • just after the end of the first round the secretariat emails a ballot to each NC member with reduced list of nominees; (without candidates from already elected region)
   • each NC member shall emails his/her vote back to the secretariat before the Wednesday October 13, 14:00 CET.

   The second round continue during the NC telecon:

   
          Begins: Wednesday October 13, 15:00 CET
          Ends:   Wednesday October 13, 17:00 CET
   

   with exactly the same procedure like for the first round.

   It may happen (very unlikely in the second round) that after 2 hours of telecon and voting the processus is not yet ended. In such a situation the next NC telecon is convened for Thursday October 14, 15:00 CET, and:

   • the secretariat emails a ballot to each NC member, on Wednesday October 13, just after the end of a telecon;
   • each NC member shall emails his/her vote back to the secretariat within next 21 hours, and before the Thursday October 14, 14:00 CET.

   The voting may continue during the additional NC telecon:

   
         Begins: Thursday October 14, 15:00 CET
         Ends:   Thursday October 14, 17:00 CET
   

   After the election of the second candidate for 2 years term at the ICANN Board, the corresponding geographic region will eliminate some candidates from a list of nominees.

   NC members are given 21 hours time for establishing strategies for the third round.

4. Election of the third candidate, 1 year term at ICANN Board.

Each NC member votes for one nominee.

Third round.

• just after the end of the second round the secretariat emails a ballot to each NC member with reduced list of nominees; (without candidates from already elected regions)
• each NC member shall emails his/her vote back to the secretariat before the Friday October 15, 14:00 CET.

The third round continue during the NC telecon:

      Begins: Friday October 15, 15:00 CET
      Ends:   Friday October 15, 17:00 CET

with exactly the same procedure like for the first round.

Summary.

On Monday we know the result of preliminary round with multiple votes, and start the real election of the firts seat. If needed, we schedule the vote to continue on Tuesday, at the usual time, and then we allow "21 hours" before the election of the first director and the first vote on the second. This means that we agree to be availabe on Tuesday afternoon during a certain time, in order to cast mulitple rounds, if necessary. Be aware that from now on, with one region less (and possibly lots of candidates less) things will be faster. Also the fact that many people will be uncomfortable voting, say, a IP lawer or a ccTLD manager or a registrar if this is the "main affiliation" of the first director elected will make things much easier.

It is not expected that the all members of the NC have the necessary software and know how to use chat. The additional telephone line at the DNSO secretariat will help those who cannot email votes during the telecon, and wish give votes by telephone.

The chat mechanism, i.e. a mechanism that allows the NC members to be online, send mails to the secretariat that nobody else will see, and have both public and private discussions would be a helpfull tool for the future use.

The telecon with the nominees shall, if necessary, be held after the preliminary vote. In such a situation the Monday telecon is dedicated to the discussion with nominees, and all subsequent rounds delayed by one day.