[1]
Post updated on March 31, 2023, 1:18pm AST.
It’s GV board elections time once more! Our current community representatives [2] to the Global Voices board [3] complete their three-year term of office at the end of March 2023, so the time has come to elect three new representatives.
Here are the details in FAQ form:
Contents
- 1 ABOUT THE ELECTIONS [4]
- 2 NOMINATION PROCESS [9]
- 2.1 Who is eligible to run for a board community representative position? [10]
- 2.2 [11]
- 2.3 Who can nominate candidates? [12]
- 2.4 How do I nominate someone? [13]
- 2.5 Can candidates nominate themselves? [14]
- 2.6 Can community board representatives run for a second term? [15]
- 2.7 What are the obligations of the community board representatives? [16]
- 3 CAMPAIGNING [17]
- 4 VOTING [21]
- 5 ABOUT THE BOARD [27]
ABOUT THE ELECTIONS
Why is GV holding board elections?
The Global Voices board reserves three positions for community representatives who are elected by the GV community. One position is filled by an annually contracted GV contractor, and the other two positions by GV volunteers. The community board representatives serve on the board for three years.
When will the 2023 election take place [UPDATED]?
Voting will take place on April 10-15 April 15-20, 2023. Here’s a schedule of all election activities:
- March 30 – Deadline for nominations
- March 31 – Slate of candidates announced
- March 31-
April 9April 14 – Campaign period April 10-15April 15-20 – Voting periodApril 16April 21 – Announcement of resultsApril 19-21April 24-26 – Runoff (if necessary)April 22April 27 – Announcement of runoff results (if necessary)
Who's in charge of running the election?
The board has appointed GV’s Executive Director, Ivan Sigal [33], and GV’s Managing Director, Georgia Popplewell [34], as the elections officers. As a result, Ivan and Georgia will not vote in the board election.
How will the winners be determined?
In the Contractors’ election, the candidate receiving the largest number of votes will be considered the winner. In the Volunteers’ election, the top two candidates receiving the largest number of votes will be considered the winners.
NOMINATION PROCESS
Who is eligible to run for a board community representative position?
To run for a board position, you must be a member in good standing of the Global Voices Community Council [35].
The Contractors’ Representative position may be contested by any GV Community Council member in good standing who meets the following criteria:
- heads a GV section (i.e. Newsroom [36], Rising Voices [37], Advox [38], Lingua [39]), an editorial or translation team (i.e. Newsroom editors, Translation Managers [40]), or holds another annually contracted position at GV.
The Volunteers’ Representative position may be contested by any GV Community Council member in good standing who meets the following criteria:
1) does NOT head a Global Voices’ department (i.e. Newsroom, Rising Voices, Lingua), (i.e. Newsroom editors, Translation Managers [40]), or hold an annually contracted paid position at GV.
2) has done one or more of the following within the last calendar year (ie since March 2022):
- published a post or translation on a GV website at least four times in the last calendar year
- participated in a GV research project or fellowship program
Who can nominate candidates?
Any person who has ever published on a GV website can nominate a candidate.
How do I nominate someone?
You can submit nominations using this form [41]. Before nominating someone, please make sure to:
- confirm they are a member of the Global Voices Community Council [35]
- ask for their consent
Can candidates nominate themselves?
Yes, people are welcome to nominate themselves as candidates!
Can community board representatives run for a second term?
Yes. Global Voices board members may serve for up to two terms.
What are the obligations of the community board representatives?
The role of GV’s community board representatives is to ensure that the organization serves the best interests of GV community members, by:
- Attending board meetings via video conference call four times a year
- Engaging actively with the community members to listen to their opinions, needs and concerns
- Making themselves available to individual community members who have matters they wish to discuss and have expressed at board level
- Acting as the community’s spokespeople at board level and as the conduit for community perspectives to the board
- Continuing to write or translate stories, participate in projects or contribute in other material ways to Global Voices for the duration of their term
CAMPAIGNING
How will candidates conduct their campaigns?
Candidates will respond to a series of set questions in posts on the Community Blog [42], along with any reasonable supporting materials, including videos, images, audio messages, etc.
Community members will then be invited to ask the candidates questions in the comments section of each candidate’s blog post. If you don't have a Community Blog account, please ask your editor or any member of the core team to set one up for you.
Can candidates use the GV mailing lists to campaign?
Yes, candidates may use the GV Community Google Group [43] for campaign purposes, once the communications are clearly labelled “[GV Election Campaign Message]”.
Can a candidate be disqualified?
Yes. Any candidate who removes, defaces or in any other way interferes with another candidate’s campaign materials, or who orders another person to do such on their behalf, will face immediate disqualification from the election.
VOTING
Who's eligible to vote?
Any member of the Global Voices community who meets the following criteria can vote in the election:
1) has been a member of the community or involved in a Global Voices project for at least three months, or holds an annually contracted position at Global Voices
2) has posted to a GV website at least once within the last five years (i.e. since March 1, 2018)
Eligible voters will soon receive an email confirming their eligibility.
If you are unsure if your contribution qualifies you to vote, please reach out to the election managers to confirm.
How will people cast their votes?
Voting will be done through an online voting platform. We’ll send you more information and detailed instructions for voting closer to the voting date.
Will everybody vote for both the Contractors’ and Volunteers’ representative?
Yes. Every eligible voter will have three votes: one to cast in the Contractors’ election, and two in the Volunteers’ election.
How will the winners be determined?
In the election for Contractors’ Representative, the candidate receiving the largest number of votes will be considered the winner. In the election for Volunteers’ Representatives, the top two candidates receiving the largest number of votes will be considered the winners.
What happens if there's a tie?
If there's a tie, we will hold a runoff election between the candidates who have received an equal number of votes.
ABOUT THE BOARD
What is the Global Voices board?
Like all nonprofit foundations, GV is governed by a board of directors. You can see the members of the current board here [3].
What's the structure of the Global Voices board?
The current Global Voices board of directors comprises nine seats. Two of these seats are reserved for the founders of GV (Ethan Zuckerman [44] and Rebecca MacKinnon [45]), three for members of the GV community and four for other individuals of the board’s choosing. The four external board members are nominated and selected by the existing board. The GV community board representatives are elected by the GV community.
How often does the board meet?
The GV board meets once each quarter, i.e. four times a year. Most meetings take place by video call.
Who are the current board representatives?
In March 2020 the GV Community elected Mohamed ElGohary as the Contractors’ representative and Arzu Geybullayeva and Annie Zaman as the Volunteers’ representatives.
For how long do board members serve?
Except for GV's co-founders, the term of office for all GV board members is three years.
If you have any other questions about the elections, please email Georgia [34].