Leo Simmons has listed a number of valid points, and even a draft proposal to simplify the text of the PMC Voting Procedures. I have taken his draft, and played with the wording to make it even more readable.
I would like to persue this, and come up with a document we can all live with. On the WIKI at: http://nagoya.apache.org/wiki/apachewiki.cgi?AvalonPMCVotingProcedures ---------------------------------------------------------------- = PMC Voting Procedures = This document details how the Avalon PMC has agreed to handle voting. Should this document conflict with official ASF policy, please notify [EMAIL PROTECTED] so that they can make the proper changes. ASF policy will always supercede this document. == People Involved in the Voting Process == === The Proposer === The proposer is the one who comes up with the discussion that needs to be addressed. The proposer will follow the procedures listed under the heading "Prior to the Vote". === The Vote Administrator === The vote administrator is the person who tallies the votes and reports the results back to the developer list. The person who actually puts a proposal up for vote is usually the vote administrator, although this task can be taken on by someone else. === The Voter === A voter is someone who expresses support or opposition for the subject being voted on. For a voter's vote to count, he must be qualified. All voters must either be a committer on the Avalon project or an Avalon PMC memebr. Certain types of votes require that the voter be a PMC member. The different types of votes are detailed in the section "The Vote". == Prior to the Vote == Before any vote can take place, the subject must be discussed with the larger Avalon development community. All such discussions take place on the Avalon developer mailing list, and have the text "[PROPOSAL]" in the subject line. That practice alerts the developers to the fact that you eventually intend to call a vote on the subject. == The Vote == When the proposal is ready to be adopted by the community, the Proposer will call for a vote. All votes occur on the Avalon developers mailing list, andhave the text "[VOTE]" in the subject line. That practice alerts the developers to the fact that the prior proposal is now ready to vote on, and discussion should stop for the proposal. === How to Vote === The voter responds to the original call for vote with an expression of support, opposition, or abstaination. The exact way to express the voter's position is listed below: * +1 a vote supporting the subject * +0 a vote abstaining from the subject, but showing some support. * -0 a vote abstaining from the subject, but showing disapproval. * -1 a vote opposing the subject Because a vote has already been discussed by the community, the voter who expresses a vote of -1 is required to provide a detailed explanation as to why the voter opposes the subject. That explanation needs to list any steps that the proposer can take to make the voter change their position. === Counting Votes === The vote administrator will count only the last vote from each voter. That means a voter may change their vote at any time during the duration of the vote. It is the vote administrator's duty to make sure that the voter is qualified to make a vote on the subject. The qualifications are listed under the sub heading "Types of Votes". === Types of Votes === The PMC may vote on any number of procedures. It is not the PMC's role to affect the technical direction of the Avalon project, but its procedural direction. There are two classes of votes: a Qualified Majority Vote and a Normal Majority Vote. ==== Qualified Majority Vote ==== Any vote that affects the PMC charter, affects the rules that govern the PMC is a Qualified Majority Vote. For this type of vote to pass, it requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority of voters who are PMC members. Input is appreciated from committers and all other members of the community, but only votes from PMC members are counted for this type of vote. ==== Normal Majority Vote ==== All votes that do not fall under the heading of Qualified Majority Vote are handled as a Normal Majority Vote. Examples of PMC actions that fall under this heading include creating new CVS repositories, or creating or merging mailing lists, but it is not limited to just those activities. All committers will vote on the subject, and if it passes with more than half (1/2) of the voters support, the PMC members will ratify it. If it passes the PMC vote with more than half (1/2) of voters supporting it, then the vote has passed. === Voting Qualifications === In order for any vote to be considered binding, it must have proper representation, and be held for the proper amount of time. ==== Representation ==== For all votes, there must be at least three (3) voters. For PMC level votes, there must be half (1/2) of the PMC making some vote. ==== Duration ==== All votes will last for at least a week. If there is not enough representation within the first week, then the length of time will be extended for one additional week. If the vote still does not have enough support, then the vote is considered failed. The proposer can choose to bring it up later when proper representation is available. == After the Vote == When the vote is closed, the results of the vote are summarized by the Vote Administrator. The vote administrator will send an email to the Avalon developer's list with the text "[VOTE-RESULT]" in the subject that has the summary. The summary will include the count of all +1, +0, -0, and -1 responses, and the final verdict of whether the subject passed. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
