{color:red}Red provisions are ones that have been adopted already{color}
{color:blue}Blue provisions are amendments suggested by the governance task force, on the basis of substance and new policy{color}
{color:green}Green provisions are amendments suggested by the governance task force, on the basis of clarity of language{color}
h2. Part one: Authority
h3. Article I: Classes of participation
# {color:RED}*Member.* A person who meets the criteria to vote within a defined GROUP.{color}
h3. Article II: Groups that are empowered to make decisions
# {color:RED}*Plenary*: The general membership body of the DataPortability Project{color}
- {color:blue}The PLENARY is the set of all people who have officially declared their desire to be voting members in DataPortability.org.{color}
# {color:RED}*Steering (Executive committee).* The group chartered with the authority to execute governance and operation of the DataPortability Project.{color}
# {color:RED}*Action Groups (Standing committees).* Groups recognized by the STEERING GROUP to act on its behalf, chartered with a specific responsibilities as defined by the STEERING GROUP or the PLENARY. Their charter and ongoing duties are to be under the review of the STEERING GROUP.{color}
- {color:green}An ACTION group is a standing committee, chartered by the STEERING group, whose work is assumed to be ongoing{color}
# {color:RED}*Task Forces (Special committees).* Entities created to carry out a specific task, as defined by their charter, whose existence is finite and expected to end when that task is complete.{color}
- {color:green}A TASK FORCE is a group that is chartered by the STEERING group with addressing a single problem or issue. It is assumed that a TASK FORCE group has a limited life span and will disband once its work is complete.{color}
{color:RED}a) _Official TASK FORCES_: Created on order of the STEERING GROUP or PLENARY with official status. Official status requires recognition by the STEERING GROUP.{color}
{color:RED}b)_Unofficial TASK FORCES_: Created on order of the PLENARY without official status (i.e., voted in by the PLENARY but not recognized by the STEERING GROUP).{color}
- {color:blue}:AFFILIATED PROJECTS are ongoing work groups that are independently advancing the goals of DataPortability.org, but have no authority to set policy or speak publicly for the larger group. A group becomes an AFFILIATED PROJECT by posting its intention to the dataportability-announce mailing list.{color}
# {color: blue} DataPortability.org shall consist of the PLENARY, a STEERING group, a set of ACTION groups and TASK FORCE groups as deemed necessary by Steering or the Plenary, and AFFILIATED PROJECTS.{color}
h3. Article III: Types of officers
# {color:RED}The STEERING GROUP is to always have four officers: Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer{color}
# {color:RED}ACTION GROUPS and TASK FORCES are required, at minimum, to have a Chairperson. The positions of Deputy Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer are optional.{color}
# {color:RED}Officer positions are to be appointed by nomination of a MEMBER in good standing followed by a vote of the group in which the office is appointed. Should two or more members be nominated for any one officer position, an election is to be held via a process defined by the STEERING GROUP.{color}
h3. Article IV: Scope of powers
# {color:green}The STEERING GROUP has sole authority to make decisions for the operation, order, and good governance of the DataPortability Project. It specifically has authority over vision, policy, legal, financial, intellectual property, and representations of the Project made to external parties. {color}
# {color:green} The STEERING GROUP can, at its sole discretion, delegate any or all of this authority to ACTION GROUPS.{color}
# {color:blue}The STEERING group may also choose to revoke any delegated authority at any time.{color}
# {color:RED}Unless otherwise specified, all decision making power is to reside with the PLENARY.{color}
# {color:RED}Motions passed by the PLENARY regarding areas of STEERING GROUP authority require approval by the STEERING GROUP in order to become officially policy of the DataPortability Project.{color}
# {color:RED}The PLENARY has the ability to overturn a decision by the STEERING GROUP (reference: Article X:4).{color}
h2. Part two: Membership
h3. Article V: Membership - General provision
# {color:RED} One becomes a MEMBER in good standing of any GROUP in the DataPortability Project by contacting the SECRETARY of that GROUP (or the CHAIR, if there is no SECRETARY) and declaring their intent to join.{color}
# {color:RED} GROUP MEMBERSHIP is the result of this declaration of intent, and is not satisfied by SUBSCRIBING to a mailing list (reference: Article I){color}
h3. Article VI: Membership - Plenary
# {color:RED}A MEMBER of the Plenary is someone who has agreed to opt-in.{color}
{color:blue}
# The PLENARY is the set of all people who have voting membership in DataPortability.org.
# A person becomes an active member of the PLENARY by posting a message to the dataportability-voting mailing list declaring their intention to be a member.
# Active membership in the PLENARY expires annually for all members at midnight, GMT on the last day of the OPERATING YEAR. Current members may declare their intention to remain in good standing for the following year up to 30 days before this date.
# The SECRETARY of the STEERING group is responsible for maintaining the list of active members of the PLENARY.
# The SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall determine and publish the form of PLENARY membership declarations, and shall have final authority over whether a particular message does or does not meet these criteria.{color}
# {color:blue} The SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall be responsible for the operation and certification of elections, and for maintaining the list of current members. In the event that the SECRETARY is unable to carry out this task, the CHAIR shall select an active member of the PLENARY to do so.{color}
h3. Article VII: Membership - Steering Group
# {color:RED}The initial roll of MEMBERS of the STEERING GROUP will be elected by the Plenary.{color}
- {color:blue} Membership in the STEERING group is determined by a vote of the PLENARY. {color}
# {color:RED}Any STEERING GROUP MEMBER may nominate one person per meeting to become a MEMBER.{color}
# {color:RED}Approval of a nomination for MEMBERSHIP requires a simple majority of the quorum. If approved by vote, the nominee's membership is considered active immediately, and that person is eligible to vote on any subsequent ballots.{color}
# {color:RED}A person may be nominated for MEMBERSHIP no more than once in a ninety (90) day period.{color}
# {color:RED}Attendance at STEERING GROUP meetings is open to all interested parties, and no person shall be excluded based upon lack of membership.{color}
# {color:blue}In the event that a member of the STEERING group is unable to continue their role, the CHAIR may call for a special election to fill any open seats.{color}
# {color:blue}In the event that the STEERING group has fewer than four members, the senior remaining member must immediately call for new elections. If the group has no SECRETARY, the senior member of the STEERING group shall assume the role of SECRETARY. No official decisions except those relating to the election can be made until the new STEERING group is in place.{color}
h3. Article VIII: Loss of Membership - Steering Group
# {color:RED}If a STEERING GROUP MEMBER becomes inactive, they must be nominated and voted on to regain status.{color}
# {color:RED}A STEERING GROUP MEMBER is to be considered inactive if they have failed to participate in three of the last five consecutive calls for quorum.{color}
# {color:RED}For the purposes of determining whether a MEMBER is inactive and to prevent abuse, only one count per week of calls for quorum is to be used.{color}
# {color:blue}In the interest of the smooth operation of the STEERING group the CHAIR may, at his or her sole discretion, choose to remove any member who has missed all votes and calls to quorum for one month. Removal decisions must be published to the dataportability-announce group, and shall take effect upon posting.{color}
# {color:RED}If a MEMBER believes they will miss a call for quorum, they may contact the chair and get a leave of absence without consequence to their MEMBERSHIP. This allows them to temporarily be removed from quorum.{color}
# {color:RED}A MEMBER may have their MEMBERSHIP revoked by a two-thirds majority vote of the STEERING GROUP{color}
- {color:blue}STEERING group members can be impeached with a two thirds vote of the STEERING group. Once impeached, a member immediately loses all rights and privileges of membership in the STEERING group{color}
h2. Part three: Procedure
h3. Article IX: Determining Quorum
# {color:RED}During a Face-to-Face meeting, a Quorum shall be a simple majority of the MEMBERS who are physically present in the room or otherwise present via teleconference. For a Quorum to be recognised during such a Face-to-Face meeting, the minimum notice period prior to the meeting occurring shall be thirty (30) calendar days and a teleconference facility must be set up for MEMBERS not physically able to attend.{color}
# {color:RED}During a Teleconference, a Quorum shall be reached if a simple majority of the MEMBERS are present. Their presence will be recorded in response to a roll call, either verbally or via a designated backchannel. For the Quorum to be valid during a Teleconference, the minimum notice period prior to the Teleconference occurring shall be seven (7) calendar days.{color}
# {color:RED}During an Electronic Ballot via a designated mailing list, a Quorum will be assumed. For the Quorum to be valid where a vote is called via Electronic Ballot, the minimum time from the call for a vote to the close of voting shall be seven (7) calendar days.{color}
h3. Article X: Procedure for passing decisions
# {color:RED}A GROUP can only pass a motion if they have quorum during a session and the minimum requirements of notice for the means of communicating the vote on the motion{color}
# {color:RED}In the absence of consensus, a motion is to be passed by simple majority of members.{color}
# {color:RED}Changes to this Governance Policy require a two-thirds majority vote by the STEERING GROUP{color}
# {color:RED}The PLENARY can overturn any STEERING GROUP decision with a two-thirds vote{color}
# {color:blue} Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the group charter, official decisions made by any DataPortability.org group shall conform to the standard procedures described in this document. Situations not addressed in this document shall be handled according to Roberts Rules of Order, 10th Edition.
# Official decisions by any DataPortability.org group must be announced in a public forum within 48 hours of the decision being made.
# Decisions are made in the form of ballots, which are either accepted or rejected by the group.
# Any active group member may submit a ballot.
# Ballots are presented to the group SECRETARY (or CHAIR, if the group has no SECRETARY). The CHAIR or SECRETARY will then present the ballot to the larger group on behalf of the submitting member. The acting CHAIR will then moderate discussion of the ballot. At the conclusion of debate, the chair announces when voting is to open and close.
# If more than two thirds of the group are available in person or otherwise connected in "real time" (teleconference, VOIP software, etc), the CHAIR may choose to hold votes immediately. If less than two thirds of the group are present, or the chair determines that more deliberation is required than the current forum allows, decisions are to be made via the dataportability-vote mailing list.
# The SECRETARY must record the text of all ballots submitted to the group and whether each was adopted or rejected.
# The SECRETARY may optionally summarize the discussion, but is discouraged from recording who represented each side of the discussion or how individual members voted.
# Ballots must be presented to the group far enough in advance of the vote that reasonable debate can take place. When presenting a ballot, the acting SECRETARY must also declare the time period being allotted for discussion.
# The vote must be left open long enough that a representative set of the electorate has the opportunity to vote. When presenting a ballot, the acting SECRETARY must also declare the time period being allotted for voting.
# The results of a vote must be tallied by the acting SECRETARY and reported to the group within a reasonable period of time after the close of voting.
# Group members may vote "YEA" if they agree with the ballot, "NAY" if they disagree, or may abstain from voting.
# A ballot is considered approved if, after having been debated for a reasonable time period and presented to the group for a vote, it receives more "YEA" votes than "NAY" votes.
{color}
h3. Election provisions - initial seeding
{color:red}
# The PLENARY is the set of all people who have voting membership in DataPortability.org.
# A person becomes an active member of the PLENARY by posting a message to a dataportability-voting mailing list (to be set up) declaring their intention to be a member.
# Membership in the STEERING group is determined by a vote of the PLENARY.
# The STEERING group shall consist of no fewer than four, and no more than twelve people.
# The term of service for a member of the STEERING group shall be one year from the date of election or appointment. {color}
# {color:blue} The OPERATING YEAR for DataPortability.org shall be defined as the period beginning on October 1 of a given year and ending on September 30 of the following year. {color}
# {color:red} An ACTING SECRETARY (TBD) of the STEERING group shall announce elections no less than two weeks before voting opens. The announcement shall be posted to the dataportability-announce mailing list, and shall include both the opening and closing dates of the ballot.
# Candidates declare themselves or are nominated after the vote has been announced, but not less than one week before voting opens.
# The ballot for STEERING group members shall remain open for no less than one week.
# Any active member of the PLENARY may nominate themselves or another active member to be a candidate for membership in the STEERING group by posting to dataportability-vote (to be set up).
# STEERING group nominations and voting shall be accomplished by posting messages to dataportability-vote.
# The SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall determine and publish the form of STEERING group election votes, and shall have final authority over whether a particular message does or does not meet these criteria.
# People who have joined the PLENARY no less than one week before the election opens are considered eligible to vote.{color}
{color:blue}Each member of the PLENARY shall have one vote to cast for each open seat. They may cast all votes for one candidate, or one vote each for multiple candidate. A member may also choose to cast only some of their votes and abstain the remainder.{color}
{color:red}
# In the event that a member casts more than two votes, the first two votes (as determined by the message timestamps) shall be considered official their official vote.{color}
- {color:green} Once cast, votes cannot be changed. In the event that a member votes multiple times, the first votes (as determined by the message timestamps) shall be considered official official.{color}
{color:red}
# The SECRETARY may, at his or her sole discretion, choose to disqualify votes because the intent of the voter is unclear, there was a technical problem with the transmission of the vote message, or a violation of eligibility has occurred.
# Within 48 hours after the close of voting, the current SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall tally the votes and declare the outcome.
# Candidates are ranked according to the total number of votes that they received and, beginning with the candidate who received the most votes, each open seat is assigned to a candidate according to that order until all seats are filled or all candidates are assigned.
# In the event that fewer candidates than the number of open seats received votes, the remaining seats are to be left empty.{color}
h3. Official communications
{color:blue}
# DataPortability.org shall make available several mailing lists that support the ongoing work of the group.
# The mailing list dataportability-announce shall be used for all official announcements. These include, but are not limited to, reminders about PLENARY membership deadlines, new votes, votes opening and closing, and the results of ballots and elections.
# The mailing list dataportability-vote shall be used by members to cast ballots on votes.
# Each standing or task force group shall have a dedicated mailing list for discussions, but votes shall be considered official only when posted to dataportability-vote.{color}
h3. Action groups
{color:blue}
# Each ACTION group shall have a CHAIR. The posts of DEPUTY CHAIR, SECRETARY, and TREASURER are optional.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the ACTION group charter, membership in the group is open to all interested members of the PLENARY.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the ACTION group charter, officer positions are to be determined by the members of the ACTION group, as they see fit.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the ACTION group charter, the ACTION group shall deliver a monthly status report to the SECRETARY of the STEERING group.{color}
h3. Task Forces
{color: blue}
# Each TASK FORCE group shall have a CHAIR. The posts of DEPUTY CHAIR, SECRETARY, and TREASURER are optional.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the TASK FORCE charter, membership in the group is open to all interested members of the PLENARY.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the TASK FORCE charter, officer positions are to be determined by the members of the TASK FORCE group, as they see fit.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the TASK FORCE charter, the TASK FORCE shall deliver a monthly status report to the SECRETARY of the STEERING group. {color}
h3. Affiliated Groups
{color: blue}
# AFFILIATED groups are independent projects that have decided to associate themselves with DataPortability.org, but which have not been chartered by the STEERING group.
# AFFILIATED projects form by announcing their desire for affiliated status to the dataportability-announce mailing list. Groups are automatically considered affiliated unless the STEERING group determines that they should be removed.
# AFFILIATED groups must periodically deliver status reports to the SECRETARY of the STEERING group.
# The STEERING group can, at its sole discretion, decide to revoke the affiliated status or any group. {color}
{color:blue}Blue provisions are amendments suggested by the governance task force, on the basis of substance and new policy{color}
{color:green}Green provisions are amendments suggested by the governance task force, on the basis of clarity of language{color}
h2. Part one: Authority
h3. Article I: Classes of participation
# {color:RED}*Member.* A person who meets the criteria to vote within a defined GROUP.{color}
h3. Article II: Groups that are empowered to make decisions
# {color:RED}*Plenary*: The general membership body of the DataPortability Project{color}
- {color:blue}The PLENARY is the set of all people who have officially declared their desire to be voting members in DataPortability.org.{color}
# {color:RED}*Steering (Executive committee).* The group chartered with the authority to execute governance and operation of the DataPortability Project.{color}
# {color:RED}*Action Groups (Standing committees).* Groups recognized by the STEERING GROUP to act on its behalf, chartered with a specific responsibilities as defined by the STEERING GROUP or the PLENARY. Their charter and ongoing duties are to be under the review of the STEERING GROUP.{color}
- {color:green}An ACTION group is a standing committee, chartered by the STEERING group, whose work is assumed to be ongoing{color}
# {color:RED}*Task Forces (Special committees).* Entities created to carry out a specific task, as defined by their charter, whose existence is finite and expected to end when that task is complete.{color}
- {color:green}A TASK FORCE is a group that is chartered by the STEERING group with addressing a single problem or issue. It is assumed that a TASK FORCE group has a limited life span and will disband once its work is complete.{color}
{color:RED}a) _Official TASK FORCES_: Created on order of the STEERING GROUP or PLENARY with official status. Official status requires recognition by the STEERING GROUP.{color}
{color:RED}b)_Unofficial TASK FORCES_: Created on order of the PLENARY without official status (i.e., voted in by the PLENARY but not recognized by the STEERING GROUP).{color}
- {color:blue}:AFFILIATED PROJECTS are ongoing work groups that are independently advancing the goals of DataPortability.org, but have no authority to set policy or speak publicly for the larger group. A group becomes an AFFILIATED PROJECT by posting its intention to the dataportability-announce mailing list.{color}
# {color: blue} DataPortability.org shall consist of the PLENARY, a STEERING group, a set of ACTION groups and TASK FORCE groups as deemed necessary by Steering or the Plenary, and AFFILIATED PROJECTS.{color}
h3. Article III: Types of officers
# {color:RED}The STEERING GROUP is to always have four officers: Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer{color}
# {color:RED}ACTION GROUPS and TASK FORCES are required, at minimum, to have a Chairperson. The positions of Deputy Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer are optional.{color}
# {color:RED}Officer positions are to be appointed by nomination of a MEMBER in good standing followed by a vote of the group in which the office is appointed. Should two or more members be nominated for any one officer position, an election is to be held via a process defined by the STEERING GROUP.{color}
h3. Article IV: Scope of powers
# {color:green}The STEERING GROUP has sole authority to make decisions for the operation, order, and good governance of the DataPortability Project. It specifically has authority over vision, policy, legal, financial, intellectual property, and representations of the Project made to external parties. {color}
# {color:green} The STEERING GROUP can, at its sole discretion, delegate any or all of this authority to ACTION GROUPS.{color}
# {color:blue}The STEERING group may also choose to revoke any delegated authority at any time.{color}
# {color:RED}Unless otherwise specified, all decision making power is to reside with the PLENARY.{color}
# {color:RED}Motions passed by the PLENARY regarding areas of STEERING GROUP authority require approval by the STEERING GROUP in order to become officially policy of the DataPortability Project.{color}
# {color:RED}The PLENARY has the ability to overturn a decision by the STEERING GROUP (reference: Article X:4).{color}
h2. Part two: Membership
h3. Article V: Membership - General provision
# {color:RED} One becomes a MEMBER in good standing of any GROUP in the DataPortability Project by contacting the SECRETARY of that GROUP (or the CHAIR, if there is no SECRETARY) and declaring their intent to join.{color}
# {color:RED} GROUP MEMBERSHIP is the result of this declaration of intent, and is not satisfied by SUBSCRIBING to a mailing list (reference: Article I){color}
h3. Article VI: Membership - Plenary
# {color:RED}A MEMBER of the Plenary is someone who has agreed to opt-in.{color}
{color:blue}
# The PLENARY is the set of all people who have voting membership in DataPortability.org.
# A person becomes an active member of the PLENARY by posting a message to the dataportability-voting mailing list declaring their intention to be a member.
# Active membership in the PLENARY expires annually for all members at midnight, GMT on the last day of the OPERATING YEAR. Current members may declare their intention to remain in good standing for the following year up to 30 days before this date.
# The SECRETARY of the STEERING group is responsible for maintaining the list of active members of the PLENARY.
# The SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall determine and publish the form of PLENARY membership declarations, and shall have final authority over whether a particular message does or does not meet these criteria.{color}
# {color:blue} The SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall be responsible for the operation and certification of elections, and for maintaining the list of current members. In the event that the SECRETARY is unable to carry out this task, the CHAIR shall select an active member of the PLENARY to do so.{color}
h3. Article VII: Membership - Steering Group
# {color:RED}The initial roll of MEMBERS of the STEERING GROUP will be elected by the Plenary.{color}
- {color:blue} Membership in the STEERING group is determined by a vote of the PLENARY. {color}
# {color:RED}Any STEERING GROUP MEMBER may nominate one person per meeting to become a MEMBER.{color}
# {color:RED}Approval of a nomination for MEMBERSHIP requires a simple majority of the quorum. If approved by vote, the nominee's membership is considered active immediately, and that person is eligible to vote on any subsequent ballots.{color}
# {color:RED}A person may be nominated for MEMBERSHIP no more than once in a ninety (90) day period.{color}
# {color:RED}Attendance at STEERING GROUP meetings is open to all interested parties, and no person shall be excluded based upon lack of membership.{color}
# {color:blue}In the event that a member of the STEERING group is unable to continue their role, the CHAIR may call for a special election to fill any open seats.{color}
# {color:blue}In the event that the STEERING group has fewer than four members, the senior remaining member must immediately call for new elections. If the group has no SECRETARY, the senior member of the STEERING group shall assume the role of SECRETARY. No official decisions except those relating to the election can be made until the new STEERING group is in place.{color}
h3. Article VIII: Loss of Membership - Steering Group
# {color:RED}If a STEERING GROUP MEMBER becomes inactive, they must be nominated and voted on to regain status.{color}
# {color:RED}A STEERING GROUP MEMBER is to be considered inactive if they have failed to participate in three of the last five consecutive calls for quorum.{color}
# {color:RED}For the purposes of determining whether a MEMBER is inactive and to prevent abuse, only one count per week of calls for quorum is to be used.{color}
# {color:blue}In the interest of the smooth operation of the STEERING group the CHAIR may, at his or her sole discretion, choose to remove any member who has missed all votes and calls to quorum for one month. Removal decisions must be published to the dataportability-announce group, and shall take effect upon posting.{color}
# {color:RED}If a MEMBER believes they will miss a call for quorum, they may contact the chair and get a leave of absence without consequence to their MEMBERSHIP. This allows them to temporarily be removed from quorum.{color}
# {color:RED}A MEMBER may have their MEMBERSHIP revoked by a two-thirds majority vote of the STEERING GROUP{color}
- {color:blue}STEERING group members can be impeached with a two thirds vote of the STEERING group. Once impeached, a member immediately loses all rights and privileges of membership in the STEERING group{color}
h2. Part three: Procedure
h3. Article IX: Determining Quorum
# {color:RED}During a Face-to-Face meeting, a Quorum shall be a simple majority of the MEMBERS who are physically present in the room or otherwise present via teleconference. For a Quorum to be recognised during such a Face-to-Face meeting, the minimum notice period prior to the meeting occurring shall be thirty (30) calendar days and a teleconference facility must be set up for MEMBERS not physically able to attend.{color}
# {color:RED}During a Teleconference, a Quorum shall be reached if a simple majority of the MEMBERS are present. Their presence will be recorded in response to a roll call, either verbally or via a designated backchannel. For the Quorum to be valid during a Teleconference, the minimum notice period prior to the Teleconference occurring shall be seven (7) calendar days.{color}
# {color:RED}During an Electronic Ballot via a designated mailing list, a Quorum will be assumed. For the Quorum to be valid where a vote is called via Electronic Ballot, the minimum time from the call for a vote to the close of voting shall be seven (7) calendar days.{color}
h3. Article X: Procedure for passing decisions
# {color:RED}A GROUP can only pass a motion if they have quorum during a session and the minimum requirements of notice for the means of communicating the vote on the motion{color}
# {color:RED}In the absence of consensus, a motion is to be passed by simple majority of members.{color}
# {color:RED}Changes to this Governance Policy require a two-thirds majority vote by the STEERING GROUP{color}
# {color:RED}The PLENARY can overturn any STEERING GROUP decision with a two-thirds vote{color}
# {color:blue} Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the group charter, official decisions made by any DataPortability.org group shall conform to the standard procedures described in this document. Situations not addressed in this document shall be handled according to Roberts Rules of Order, 10th Edition.
# Official decisions by any DataPortability.org group must be announced in a public forum within 48 hours of the decision being made.
# Decisions are made in the form of ballots, which are either accepted or rejected by the group.
# Any active group member may submit a ballot.
# Ballots are presented to the group SECRETARY (or CHAIR, if the group has no SECRETARY). The CHAIR or SECRETARY will then present the ballot to the larger group on behalf of the submitting member. The acting CHAIR will then moderate discussion of the ballot. At the conclusion of debate, the chair announces when voting is to open and close.
# If more than two thirds of the group are available in person or otherwise connected in "real time" (teleconference, VOIP software, etc), the CHAIR may choose to hold votes immediately. If less than two thirds of the group are present, or the chair determines that more deliberation is required than the current forum allows, decisions are to be made via the dataportability-vote mailing list.
# The SECRETARY must record the text of all ballots submitted to the group and whether each was adopted or rejected.
# The SECRETARY may optionally summarize the discussion, but is discouraged from recording who represented each side of the discussion or how individual members voted.
# Ballots must be presented to the group far enough in advance of the vote that reasonable debate can take place. When presenting a ballot, the acting SECRETARY must also declare the time period being allotted for discussion.
# The vote must be left open long enough that a representative set of the electorate has the opportunity to vote. When presenting a ballot, the acting SECRETARY must also declare the time period being allotted for voting.
# The results of a vote must be tallied by the acting SECRETARY and reported to the group within a reasonable period of time after the close of voting.
# Group members may vote "YEA" if they agree with the ballot, "NAY" if they disagree, or may abstain from voting.
# A ballot is considered approved if, after having been debated for a reasonable time period and presented to the group for a vote, it receives more "YEA" votes than "NAY" votes.
{color}
h3. Election provisions - initial seeding
{color:red}
# The PLENARY is the set of all people who have voting membership in DataPortability.org.
# A person becomes an active member of the PLENARY by posting a message to a dataportability-voting mailing list (to be set up) declaring their intention to be a member.
# Membership in the STEERING group is determined by a vote of the PLENARY.
# The STEERING group shall consist of no fewer than four, and no more than twelve people.
# The term of service for a member of the STEERING group shall be one year from the date of election or appointment. {color}
# {color:blue} The OPERATING YEAR for DataPortability.org shall be defined as the period beginning on October 1 of a given year and ending on September 30 of the following year. {color}
# {color:red} An ACTING SECRETARY (TBD) of the STEERING group shall announce elections no less than two weeks before voting opens. The announcement shall be posted to the dataportability-announce mailing list, and shall include both the opening and closing dates of the ballot.
# Candidates declare themselves or are nominated after the vote has been announced, but not less than one week before voting opens.
# The ballot for STEERING group members shall remain open for no less than one week.
# Any active member of the PLENARY may nominate themselves or another active member to be a candidate for membership in the STEERING group by posting to dataportability-vote (to be set up).
# STEERING group nominations and voting shall be accomplished by posting messages to dataportability-vote.
# The SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall determine and publish the form of STEERING group election votes, and shall have final authority over whether a particular message does or does not meet these criteria.
# People who have joined the PLENARY no less than one week before the election opens are considered eligible to vote.{color}
{color:blue}Each member of the PLENARY shall have one vote to cast for each open seat. They may cast all votes for one candidate, or one vote each for multiple candidate. A member may also choose to cast only some of their votes and abstain the remainder.{color}
{color:red}
# In the event that a member casts more than two votes, the first two votes (as determined by the message timestamps) shall be considered official their official vote.{color}
- {color:green} Once cast, votes cannot be changed. In the event that a member votes multiple times, the first votes (as determined by the message timestamps) shall be considered official official.{color}
{color:red}
# The SECRETARY may, at his or her sole discretion, choose to disqualify votes because the intent of the voter is unclear, there was a technical problem with the transmission of the vote message, or a violation of eligibility has occurred.
# Within 48 hours after the close of voting, the current SECRETARY of the STEERING group shall tally the votes and declare the outcome.
# Candidates are ranked according to the total number of votes that they received and, beginning with the candidate who received the most votes, each open seat is assigned to a candidate according to that order until all seats are filled or all candidates are assigned.
# In the event that fewer candidates than the number of open seats received votes, the remaining seats are to be left empty.{color}
h3. Official communications
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# DataPortability.org shall make available several mailing lists that support the ongoing work of the group.
# The mailing list dataportability-announce shall be used for all official announcements. These include, but are not limited to, reminders about PLENARY membership deadlines, new votes, votes opening and closing, and the results of ballots and elections.
# The mailing list dataportability-vote shall be used by members to cast ballots on votes.
# Each standing or task force group shall have a dedicated mailing list for discussions, but votes shall be considered official only when posted to dataportability-vote.{color}
h3. Action groups
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# Each ACTION group shall have a CHAIR. The posts of DEPUTY CHAIR, SECRETARY, and TREASURER are optional.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the ACTION group charter, membership in the group is open to all interested members of the PLENARY.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the ACTION group charter, officer positions are to be determined by the members of the ACTION group, as they see fit.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the ACTION group charter, the ACTION group shall deliver a monthly status report to the SECRETARY of the STEERING group.{color}
h3. Task Forces
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# Each TASK FORCE group shall have a CHAIR. The posts of DEPUTY CHAIR, SECRETARY, and TREASURER are optional.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the TASK FORCE charter, membership in the group is open to all interested members of the PLENARY.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the TASK FORCE charter, officer positions are to be determined by the members of the TASK FORCE group, as they see fit.
# Unless otherwise specified by the STEERING group as part of the TASK FORCE charter, the TASK FORCE shall deliver a monthly status report to the SECRETARY of the STEERING group. {color}
h3. Affiliated Groups
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# AFFILIATED groups are independent projects that have decided to associate themselves with DataPortability.org, but which have not been chartered by the STEERING group.
# AFFILIATED projects form by announcing their desire for affiliated status to the dataportability-announce mailing list. Groups are automatically considered affiliated unless the STEERING group determines that they should be removed.
# AFFILIATED groups must periodically deliver status reports to the SECRETARY of the STEERING group.
# The STEERING group can, at its sole discretion, decide to revoke the affiliated status or any group. {color}