Please note that the deadline for nominations has been extended to April 14.

It’s GV board elections time once more! Our current community representatives to the Global Voices board complete their three-year term of office at the end of March 2026, so the time has come to elect three new representatives. 

We would like to thank Subha, Gabriela, and Juke for their service over these past three years.

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 a contractor or manager, and the other two positions by GV volunteers. 

The community board representatives will serve on the board for three years beginning in May 2026 and ending in April 2029. They may, if they choose, run for election again for a second three-year term.

When will the 2026 election take place?

Voting will take place on April 24-30, May 1-7, 2026. Here’s a schedule of all election activities:

Timeline:

• March 26 – Election announcement and call for nominations
• April 7 14– Deadline for nominations at 23:59 (your local time zone)
• April 9 16– Slate of candidates announced
• April 9-23 –16-30 Campaign period
• April 24-30 May 1- 7– Voting period
• May 1 8– Announcement of results
• May 2-May 7  May 9-16– Runoff (if necessary)
• May 8 May 17– Announcement of runoff results (if necessary)

Who's in charge of running the election?

The board has appointed GV’s Executive Director, Malka Older, and GV’s Managing Director, Eddie Avila as the elections officers. As a result, Malka and Eddie will not vote in the board election.

NOMINATION PROCESS 

Who is eligible to run for a board community representative position?

To run for a board position, candidates must be a member in good standing with no record of violating the Global Voices Ethics and Harassment Policy and demonstrate active participation in the GV Community as detailed below. 

Contractors'/Managers’ Representative 

This position may be contested by any active Global Voices community member in good standing who:

• Is an active Newsroom Editor or active Lingua Translation Manager, or holds another contracted position at GV (eg: Core team, Communications teams, Rising Voices project staff, Narrative Analysis Lead, etc.)

Volunteers’ Representative 

This position may be contested by any Global Voices member in good standing who does not qualify for the Contractors'/Managers’ category as defined above.

Additionally, all volunteer representative candidates in good standing will also be required to have done one or more of the following within the past four years (starting in March 2022):

• Written or edited an article or translation on a GV website at least four times in the past two years (April 2024-March 2026)

Or 

• participated in a GV research project, Global Voices Fellowship program (eg: Climate Justice, Mayan Languages, etc.)

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 the following form. Before nominating someone, please make sure to 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, but must run for reelection at the end of their first term. 

What are the obligations of the community board representatives?

The role of GV’s community board representatives, which requires an approximate monthly time commitment of 3-5 hours per month on average, is to ensure that the organization serves the best interests of GV community members by:

• Attending all four quarterly board meetings via video conference call and reviewing all board materials in advance, and committing to maintain confidentiality.
• Maintaining an active presence in GV communications spaces and, together with the other representatives, holding regular group meeting times to listen to their opinions, needs, and concerns.
• Acting as a designated contact person for individual community members who have matters they wish to discuss and have expressed at board level.
• Submitting a quarterly “community perspectives” report as part of the Board Book, which is distributed to the entire board in advance of the meeting, so that these perspectives are included in the agenda of each meeting. 
• 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, 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. 

Can candidates use the GV mailing lists or GV Slack to campaign?

Yes, candidates may use the GV Community Google Group or the GV Slack instance to send a campaign message, as long as these posts are clearly labeled, e.g. “[GV Election Campaign Message]”.

More detailed information will be shared with candidates prior to the campaign period.

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.

Any candidate who violates code of conduct/Ethics and Harassment Policy during the campaign period 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 three years (i.e. since April 1, 2023)

or

3) has participated in a Global Voices Fellowship program, research project, or has taken part in a social media campaign (eg: RV’s language activism)

4) is in good standing with regard to the GV Ethics and Harassment policy

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'/Managers’ and Volunteers’ representatives?

No, and please note that this election introduces a new voting structure compared to previous elections.

Voters will only cast ballots in the category in which they are eligible. Each contractor/manager will cast one vote for their Contractors’/Managers’ representative, and each volunteer will cast two votes for their Volunteers’ representative. 

How will the winners be determined?

In the election for Contractors'/Managers’ Representative, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes will be considered the winner. In the election for Volunteers’ Representatives, the top two candidates receiving the highest and second highest 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 organizations, GV is governed by a board of directors. View the current board members, and read the Board Elections FAQ for more details.

What's the structure of the Global Voices board?

The current Global Voices board of directors has 9 members with two seats filled by the founders of GV (Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca MacKinnon), three by members of the GV community, and four by individuals of the board’s choosing. The board is discussing the addition of another external board member. The GV community board representatives are elected by the GV community. External board members are nominated and selected by the existing board.

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 April 2023 the GV Community elected Gabriela García Calderón as the Contractors’ representative and Subhashish Panigrahi and Juke Carolina Bransiecq 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. Board members are allowed to run for a second term if they wish, but the limit is two terms.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Eddie.