How elections work
- We use Apache voting rules to determine the outcome of an election.
- We require at least 50% participation and no vetoes in order to elect someone.
- Each member institution has an assigned community liaison. That liaison votes in the Leadership Group election.
- Each Leadership Group member votes in the Steering Group election.
Leadership Group
The Leadership Group is made up of members that contribute over $20,000 annually to the project, along with representatives from institutions contributing at least 0.5 FTE in-kind developers, or a combination of financial and in-kind resources. Members that contribute at lower levels can also be elected to serve on the leadership group. Read more about Leadership Group Roles and Responsibilities.
Leadership Group Nominations
Once an election has been announced, each DuraSpace member that supports Fedora at either the Bronze, Silver, or Gold level may nominate an individual from their institution who they believe would be a good representative of the community. The number of available seats depends on the number of members at each level:
- 1 seat for every 2 Gold
- 1 seat for every 5 Silver
- 1 seat for every 8 Bronze
- 2 community seats (open to anyone regardless of membership status)
Typically, Leadership Group candidates have fiscal or staffing responsibility within their organization and are able to allocate resources. And they will be able to bring the commitment, creativity, and dedication that the role calls for.
At the end of the nomination process anyone nominated will be asked for a brief personal statement. Voting will be based on membership levels, with each member organization’s Community Liaison casting a vote for candidates at their Fedora membership support level (Bronze, Silver, or Gold) based on the direction of their management. In the event of a tie, the Steering Group will vote to break the tie.
Committer Nominations
In order to facilitate transparent communication between Fedora governance and the technical team, members of the Fedora Committers group may nominate (or self-nominate) a Fedora committer to serve as a representative on the Fedora Leadership Group on an annual basis. If more than one committer is nominated, an election will be held and each Fedora Leadership Group member will have an opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choosing. In the event of a tie, the Steering Group (excluding Ambassadors) will vote to break the tie.
If you have any questions about Fedora project governance or the nomination and election process please contact David Wilcox.
Steering Group
The Steering Group is nominated and elected by the Leadership Group. Steering Group members serve three-year terms. Read more about Steering Group Roles and Responsibilities.
Steering Group Chair
The Steering Group elects a chair-elect on an annual basis, drawn from among its members. The chair-elect serves for one year prior to beginning their term as chair.
Steering Group Nominations
Once an election has been announced, each Leadership Group member may nominate themselves or another member of the Leadership Group to serve on the Steering Group. Steering Group members serve three year terms with no term limits.
At the end of the nomination process anyone nominated will be asked for a brief personal statement. Each Fedora Leadership Group member will have an opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choosing. In the event of a tie, the Steering Group (excluding Ambassadors) will vote to break the tie.
If you have any questions about Fedora project governance or the nomination and election process please contact David Wilcox.
Vacant Steering Group Seats
If a Steering Group member steps down from the group before the end of their three year term a process will begin based on the following criteria:
- If the remaining term is less than 1 year and more than 3 months, a new representative will be elected via a special election for the remaining term followed by a full 3 year term
- If the remaining term is greater than 1 year, a new representative will be elected via a special election for the remaining term alone
- If the remaining term is less than 3 months, the position will be left open until the next election cycle
Special elections will follow the same rules described under Steering Group Nominations above.
