[council] Draft GNSO Council Election Procedures for the GNSO Council Chair to be seated in Cartagena

[Glen de Saint Géry <Glen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear All,

Please find the draft GNSO Council Election Procedures for the GNSO Council 
Chair to be seated in Cartagena in December 2010.
In addition, these procedures will be posted on pages:

http://gnso.icann.org/

http://gnso.icann.org/elections/index.html

DRAFT COUNCIL ELECTION PROCEDURES OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER 2010
Prepared 25 October 2010

This document contains the GNSO Council Election Procedures for the GNSO 
Council Chair to be seated in Cartagena in December 2010.

References

* ICANN Bylaws (http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#X )

Article X, Section 3, paragraph 7. The GNSO Council shall select the GNSO Chair 
for a term the GNSO Council specifies, but not longer than one year. Each House 
(as described in Section 6 of this Article) shall select a Vice-Chair, who will 
be a Vice-Chair of the whole of the GNSO Council, for a term the GNSO Council 
specifies, but not longer than one year. The procedures for selecting the Chair 
and any other officers are contained in the GNSO Operating Procedures. In the 
event that the GNSO Council has not elected a GNSO Chair by the end of the 
previous Chair's term, the Vice- Chairs will serve as Interim GNSO Co-Chairs 
until a successful election can be held.
* GNSO Council Operating Procedures approved on 5 August 2010 
(http://gnso.icann.org/council/gnso-op-procedures-05aug10-en.pdf )

2.2 Officer Elections: Chair and Vice-Chairs - The GNSO Council shall select 
the GNSO Chair and two Vice Chairs as follows:
a. The GNSO Chair shall be elected by a 60 percent vote of both houses.
b. Each house will be allowed one candidate for GNSO Council Chair. A candidate 
for GNSO Council Chair does not need to be a member of a house but must be a 
member of the GNSO Council. Should a Chair be elected outside the houses that 
Chair will be a non-voting Chair.
i. All ballots will include the "none of the above" option. In the event that 
this option gets 60 percent of both houses, each house will
commence a new nomination period of not longer than 15 days. The election will 
be rescheduled for no sooner than 30 days.
ii. In the case of a tie the election will be rescheduled no sooner than 30 
days. In the case of a second tie, each house will commence a new nomination 
period of not longer than 15 days. The election will be rescheduled for no 
sooner than 30 days.
iii. The leading candidate will be defined as the one with the highest score. 
For each candidate, determine the percentage of vote received in each house; 
add these percentages to determine the score; the leader is the one with the 
higher score. (Maximum score equals 200.)
iv. In case neither candidate reaches the 60 percent of both houses threshold, 
a second ballot will be held between the leader and "none of the above."
v. If the single candidate does not reach the 60 percent of both houses 
threshold, then each house will commence a new nomination period of not longer 
than 15 days. The election will be rescheduled for no sooner than 30 days.
c. Each house shall select a Vice Chair within their respective houses.
d. A Chair and Vice Chair may not be elected from the same Stakeholder Group.
e. The Chair or Vice Chair shall retain their votes in their respective houses.
f. In the event that the GNSO Council has not elected a GNSO Council Chair by 
the end of the previous Chair's term, the Vice-Chairs will serve as Interim
GNSO Co-Chairs until a successful election can be held.
g. The Council shall inform the Board and the Community appropriately and post 
the election results on the GNSO website within 2 business days following the
election.

Chair Qualifications Summary

Nominees must be members of the council at the time the election is held and 
not necessarily at the time that the nominations are made. This means that:

* A current council member who will not be in the new council is not eligible 
to run for chair.
* An incoming council member who is not currently in the council is eligible to 
run for chair.

Only current GNSO Council members are eligible to make nominations and second 
nominations.

Chair Nomination Process

Per the GNSO Operating Procedures referenced above (Section 2.2.b): "Each house 
will be allowed to nominate one candidate for GNSO Council Chair. Each house is 
responsible for determining how to nominate its candidate." To allow for the 
possibility of a timely Council election process in Cartagena, each house is 
asked to submit its nominee for Council chair for the term beginning at the end 
of the 2010 ICANN annual meeting not later than 10, November 2010.

Nominees shall submit a candidacy statement in writing to the GNSO Secretariat 
(gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx) as soon as possible after they have been 
selected by their house and not later than 22:00 UTC on 12, November 2010.

A candidate for GNSO Council Chair does not need to be a member of the house 
selecting the candidate. Should the non voting NCA be elected as chair he/she 
would be a non-voting chair. The two houses may, separately, select the same 
candidate from the nominee pool if they so wish.
House nominations for Council Chair should be sent to 
gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxx. The GNSO Secretariat will send each House's 
nomination to the Council list as soon as it is received.

Voting Procedure

The candidates from each of the houses shall have the opportunity of meeting 
with Council Members during the GNSO Council meeting on 18 November 2010.
The first round of voting for Council Chair will be held electronically from 19 
November until 2 December 2010. The GNSO Secretariat will announce the results 
of the first round of voting no later than 3 December 2010.

If no election of chair occurs in the first round of voting, the GNSO Operating 
Procedures quoted above in Section 2.2.b will be followed.

Seating of the New Chair

Chuck Gomes, current GNSO Council chair, will serve as chair of the Council 
meeting on 8 December 2010. The newly elected chair of the Council shall assume 
responsibilities at the end of the 2010 ICANN Annual meeting or as soon as an 
election occurs thereafter.

If no chair has been elected by the end of the Annual meeting on 10 December 
2010, the vice-chairs will assume the chair responsibilities as defined in the 
Bylaws and a runoff will be scheduled as described in the GNSO Operating 
Procedures.

The winning candidate needs 60% of the votes of each house.

The Council shall inform the Board and the Community appropriately and post the 
election results on the GNSO website within 2 business days following the 
election.

(Note: The Election of Vice Chairs is house specific and will be defined 
elsewhere)



Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you.

Kind regards,



Glen



Glen de Saint Géry

GNSO Secretariat

gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://gnso.icann.org