Search RPD Archives
Limit search to: Subject & Body Subject Author
Sort by:

Election process (was re: [rpd] AFRINIC Board Elections - 2014: Call for Nominations)

Nii Narku Quaynor quaynor at ghana.com
Sat May 10 17:14:20 UTC 2014


Very good discussion and outcome though I am a little confused about decision procedure

What's the correct governance procedure on such? Is it the chair of nomcom that decides? Nomcom ? Election committee? or board decision

And, it would need to be well described and communicated

Best
Nii

> On May 10, 2014, at 16:49, Seun Ojedeji <seun.ojedeji at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> sent from Google nexus 4
> kindly excuse brevity and typos.
> On 10 May 2014 16:00, "Mark Elkins" <mje at posix.co.za> wrote:
> > > Will that be possible without any complication?
> >
> > I believe that this is possible.
> >
> > So from this year, the three trustees will "unlock" the e-voting results
> > at approximately the same time as the paper ballots are counted.
> >
> Thank you Mr chair!
> 
> This is good progress, other recommendations for future elections (after this year) may then be put forward during the AGM.
> 
> Best regards
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > >
> > > Regards
> > > 1. www.afrinic.net/en/community/elections/afrinic-nomcom
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 3:21 PM, Mark Elkins <mje at posix.co.za> wrote:
> > >         On Sat, 2014-05-10 at 12:42 +0100, Seun Ojedeji wrote:
> > >         > Hello Mark,
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         > First considering that i wrote to chair (you) and nomcom, i
> > >         assume
> > >         > this response is on behalf of nomcom (do let me know if its
> > >         otherwise
> > >         > in your individual capacity). Kindly find my comments below:
> > >         >
> > >         > On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 11:10 AM, Mark Elkins
> > >         <mje at posix.co.za> wrote:
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         >         Firstly, NomCom does not run the elections. The job
> > >         of NomCom
> > >         >         (Nominations Committee) is to provide suitable
> > >         candidates for
> > >         >         various
> > >         >         elections or appointments, Board Members, PDP
> > >         Joint-Chairs,
> > >         >         and NRO/ASO
> > >         >         representatives.
> > >         >         >
> > >         >
> > >         > Although nomcom may seem to mean what you indicated above.
> > >         However
> > >         > nomcom according to the AFRINIC website means this:
> > >         > The NomCom (Nominations and Elections Committee)
> > >         [1]Functions of the
> > >         > Nomination Committee:
> > >
> > >         >       * The Nom Com shall
> > >         >               * use its best effort towards ensuring that a
> > >         >                 satisfactory number of individuals from the
> > >         African
> > >         >                 internet community stand as candidate for
> > >         the election
> > >         >                 of the directors of AFRINIC.
> > >
> > >         >               * have general responsibility for, and shall
> > >         supervise
> > >         >                 the conduct of the polls by the election
> > >         Committee on
> > >         >                 election day.
> > >         > Although the second role seem to imply that there is another
> > >         team
> > >         > called "election committee" and at this point, i seem to be
> > >         lost on
> > >         > how that committee come to play. Nevertheless its still
> > >         clear that
> > >         > your team coordinates the process and your role exceeds what
> > >         you have
> > >         > stated above.
> > >
> > >
> > >         OK - let me use less of my own words and quote from the
> > >         Bylaws...
> > >
> > >         9 THE NOMINATION COMMITTEE
> > >         There shall be a Nomination Committee (NomCom), which shall
> > >         consist of a
> > >         chairman and three other members as appointed by the Board and
> > >         composed of qualified and experienced persons. The Board shall
> > >         make a
> > >         public call for voluntary nomination from the African Internet
> > >         Community.
> > >
> > >         10 ELECTION COMMITTEE
> > >         There shall be an election committee comprising of such staff
> > >         members of
> > >         AFRINIC as may be designated by the Chief Executive Officer.
> > >
> > >
> > >         >
> > >         >         > Thanks for the opportunity to participate in
> > >         nomcom.
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         >         There are some logistics which people may be
> > >         missing.
> > >         >         I see that there is a goal to move to 100%
> > >         electronic voting,
> > >         >         however
> > >         >         until then.....
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         > Yes thats the final desire,(which will perhaps require the
> > >         blessings
> > >         > of BoD) but that is not the request for this upcoming
> > >         election.
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         >         Practically, the e-vote needs to be terminated some
> > >         time
> > >         >         before people collect their ballot papers. This is
> > >         so that the
> > >         >         ballot papers can be provided only to those entities
> > >         allowed
> > >         >         to vote because they have not
> > >         >         yet exercised that right via the e-vote. In order to
> > >         do this,
> > >         >         logically, one needs to see which entities have used
> > >         the
> > >         >         e-vote so their representatives are not also given a
> > >         ballot
> > >         >         paper to vote with.
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         > I still find it not convincing that the termination of
> > >         e-voting is the
> > >         > only way to avoid multiple voting. Especially since it is
> > >         clear that
> > >         > you go through a process before you can do e-voting, and it
> > >         is
> > >         > expected that anyone that opt for e-voting obviously doesn't
> > >         want to
> > >         > paper ballot. So its clear those to give paper ballot can be
> > >         known
> > >         > easily.
> > >         >
> > >         > What needs to be avoided is having privileged prior
> > >         knowledge of the
> > >         > e-voting status, your comment above doesn't prevent that.
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         >         From a convenience point of view, the e-vote cut-off
> > >         time is
> > >         >         the evening before voting day. Names can then be
> > >         checked. From
> > >         >         the morning of voting day, paper ballots are issued
> > >         to all
> > >         >         still legible voters. This takes time. Paper Ballots
> > >         are
> > >         >         carried by their owners until they are "exercised"
> > >         later on in
> > >         >         the afternoon.
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         > Please see my comment above about why i think we don't have
> > >         to count
> > >         > the e-votes just to get the numbers of those who used the
> > >         e-voting
> > >         > platform. Even if you don't think that option is totally
> > >         perfect
> > >         > (because some would already gotten their BPKI) then the
> > >         voting
> > >         > platform should be able clearly separate actual voting
> > >         result from
> > >         > from users(members) who has actually voted. Considering the
> > >         level of
> > >         > technicality already exhibited on the e-voting platform, i
> > >         believe a
> > >         > feature like that is the least challenge of the technical
> > >         team (if it
> > >         > doesn't already exist).
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         >         I guess that in the process of checking the names of
> > >         entities
> > >         >         who have e-voted, one may also know how they have
> > >         voted
> > >         >         (though I might be wrong). I personally have no
> > >         issues with
> > >         >         this as long as the e-vote
> > >         >         results are kept strictly confidential (as has been
> > >         done).Once
> > >         >         all the paper ballots have been submitted and
> > >         counted, the
> > >         >         results of the two systems can be safely merged into
> > >         one
> > >         >         election result and announced.
> > >         >
> > >         > Kindly refer to my comment above; keeping the e-vote
> > >         confidential is
> > >         > the main goal.
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         >         Due to the fact that I represent more than one
> > >         entity, I have
> > >         >         more than one vote to cast. Last year, I cast some
> > >         by e-vote
> > >         >         and some by ballot paper. I was happy to see that
> > >         the system
> > >         >         worked.
> > >         >
> > >         > I did mine via e-voting and i believe no body who has used
> > >         the
> > >         > e-voting platform would deny that it was quite functional. I
> > >         was
> > >         > however surprised at the AGM when it was said that the
> > >         voting system
> > >         > closed and the result counted. The way i know that election
> > >         is done is
> > >         > that you count votes in the presence of the voters (or at
> > >         least before
> > >         > the candidates party representatives). On that basis as an
> > >         individual
> > >         > and member i wouldn't know whether something has happened to
> > >         my votes
> > >         > (although the platform worked).
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         >         Before asking for change, please carefully consider
> > >         how one
> > >         >         might do this better whilst we have both e-votes and
> > >         paper
> > >         >         ballot votes.
> > >         >
> > >         > Nobody, and certainly not me is asking us to move to 100%
> > >         e-votes for
> > >         > now (but we agree its something to consider for future).
> > >         What we are
> > >         > saying is that you while may stop e-voting at a point (which
> > >         i find
> > >         > un-necessary though) the opening of the e-voting voting
> > >         status by the
> > >         > 3-trustees should be done the same time the paper ballot is
> > >         counted.
> > >
> > >         >         ... and I believe I have the general details and
> > >         reasoning
> > >         >         correct... :-)
> > >
> > >         > Not quite Mark as i think you perceive we are calling for
> > >         100%
> > >         > electronic voting which is not the case.
> > >
> > >
> > >         My own personal thoughts..... (Lots of 'I')
> > >
> > >         I believe Owen makes a good case for running e-voting to the
> > >         end of the
> > >         election time.
> > >
> > >         However, it does appear to me to make things more complicated.
> > >         I can not quantify to myself though how useful it would
> > >         practically be.
> > >         I have no idea what technical changes would be necessary and
> > >         if AFRINIC
> > >         is going to change something - I'd rather see it spend the
> > >         energy going
> > >         to a full e-voting solution.
> > >
> > >         E-vote starts 10 days before the elections. I see it as a very
> > >         suitable
> > >         replacement for Proxies or for those that can not attend.
> > >         Extending it to the last second will possibly encourage people
> > >         to wait
> > >         for the last second. I personally prefer the way it currently
> > >         is which
> > >         gives a few hours in case of technical difficulties.
> > >         I like the KISS principal.
> > >
> > >         The AFRINIC website does state that e-votes and the people who
> > >         have cast
> > >         them are not conjoined. As I don't know how the software
> > >         actually
> > >         functions, I can not comment further.
> > >         http://www.afrinic.net/en/community/elections/voting/online-voting
> > >         (last line)
> > >
> > >         > Thanks
> > >         >
> > >         >
> > >         > Kind Regards
> > >
> > >         >
> > >
> > >         --
> > >         Mark J Elkins - AFRINIC 2014 Nominations Committee Chair
> > >         mje at posix.co.za - nomcom2014 (at) afrinic.net
> > >         Tel: +27.128070590  Cell: +27.826010496
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >         Seun Ojedeji,
> > >         Federal University Oye-Ekiti
> > >         web:      http://www.fuoye.edu.ng
> > >         Mobile: +2348035233535
> > >         alt email: seun.ojedeji at fuoye.edu.ng
> > >
> > >                 The key to understanding is humility - my view !
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Mark James ELKINS  -  Posix Systems - (South) Africa
> > mje at posix.co.za       Tel: +27.128070590  Cell: +27.826010496
> > For fast, reliable, low cost Internet in ZA: https://ftth.posix.co.za
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > rpd mailing list
> > rpd at afrinic.net
> > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/rpd
> >
> _______________________________________________
> rpd mailing list
> rpd at afrinic.net
> https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/rpd
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.afrinic.net/pipermail/rpd/attachments/20140510/d266f5c3/attachment.html>


More information about the RPD mailing list