Introduction to the Election Committee Process

The roles and responsibilities of PICISOC Members and the Election Process

To build legitimacy and credibility for the Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC).

• The Election Committee is responsible for the election process in collaboration with the Internet Society who will manage the actual voting.
• Every registered PICISOC member is entitled to take part in the selection and election of its future leaders 
• The election of the officers of the PICISOC Board must be open, inclusive and transparent
• The election of the officers of the PICISOC Board must be sanctioned by at least 10% of the PICISOC membership

Election Committee Composition:

• An Election Committee (of no more than 3 members) will be formed no later than two weeks before the announcement of the election date.  A Chair of the committee will be appointed.

• Volunteers are recommended although the PICISOC Board Chair may also assign persons from the Board or PICISOC membership at his/her discretion when no volunteers are forthcoming and to ensure expedient execution.

• Candidates for the leadership position/s in the current election year are automatically disqualified from volunteering or being appointed to the election committee.

• The term of this committee will cease when the election results are publicly announced to the PICISOC Members (unless the Election Committee notifies the PICISOC Board about the need for a review of its processes).

The Election Committee will administer the election process.

The Election committee will ensure that the election process is conducted efficiently and smoothly as per the announced election schedule (cycle).

The Election Committee will have at their discretion the ability to reach consensus decision as much as possible before consulting the PICISOC Board.

The following are the minimum expectations and responsibilities of the Election Committee with the help from the Secretariat:

1. Election Committee accepts self-nominations and nominations from third parties for candidates that meet the PICISOC Board’s criteria for candidates.

1. All the shortlisted candidates running for leadership and their bio data will be announced to the PICISOC Membership at the same time, and as soon after the closure of the nomination period

2. Announcement of the winner/s and their scores to the PICISOC Board within 24/48 hours after vote casting has concluded. A formal announcement of the result/s will be made by the Chair of the Election Committee at the next meeting of the PICISOC Board.

3. Any irregularities during the election period, which requires Election Committee decision, must be made promptly by notifying the Chair of the Election Committee who will discuss and resolve the issue in consultation with the other committee members.

4. Simple single majority ballot voting will be administered to identify the winner/s. i.e. One Vote Per PICISOC member.

5. In executing (4) and to ensure election result legitimacy, the Election Committee must ensure at least a 10% level of participation from the eligible PICISOC pool in the respective election year.

6. The voting process must ensure complete anonymity and the confidence of its voters.  Election committee members are prohibited from disclosing details of election voting results during and after the election cycle ends in which time the term of his/her role ends.

7. The Election Committee will ensure that vote counts are accurate and audited before final announcement. The results must be agreed and concurred by all committee members. Final results will then be sent to the Board who will report to the members via email and further notify the newly elected leader/s (as well as thank the other candidates).

8. The term of the Election Committee concludes after the formal announcement of the results.

Criteria for Candidates

Nominations for candidates for a position on the PICISOC Board are open to all PICISOC members and also for anyone who is not yet a member but currently active in PICISOC events and activities.

It is desirable that candidates possess the following qualifications.

1. Must work and reside in the Pacific region
2. Represent or already be associated with a PICISOC-related or ISOC-related stakeholder group
3. Have been an active volunteer in PICISOC activities and the Internet Governance space
4. Have demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to Internet Society goals
5. Returning Board members are eligible for re-election. There are no restrictions on the number of terms for Board members selected by the election process.

Nomination process

The Election Committee is responsible for the receipt of all nominations.

• The nomination period will be two weeks.
• All conditions for nominations must be met in order for the nomination to be accepted by the Election committee.
• A brief expression of interest (EOI) in the position is expected from each nominee to enable members to make an informed vote.
• An announcement of all nominees will be made at the end of the nomination period.
• The names and EOIs (and photo if included) will also be published on the PICISOC website at the end of the nomination period.

All nominations must meet these expectations

• Nominations must be directed to the Chair of the Elections Committee
• Self-nominations will be accepted with a brief bio of the self-nominee 
• Other nominations must be accompanied by a letter/email from the nominee accepting the nomination and must also include a brief bio from the nominee
• All nominations must include acceptance that the nominees’ names, EOIs and photos will be published on the PICISOC website for members to view before voting. This information may remain online for an undetermined time, unless it is requested to be removed. 

Criteria for Voting

Voting is a right that we would hope that all eligible PICISOC voters will take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the selection and election of the best candidates to the leadership positions on the Board of the Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC)

• All registered members of PICISOC are eligible to vote.
• Voting credentials will be sent to all eligible voters.
• Each member is entitled to one vote
• No proxy votes

Election Timeframe

The following election timeframe is generally followed.

However, there may be changes to the actual dates for specific election processes, such as the starting period for voting, depending on when the elections is held. For example. if the election is held at the end of the year during the Christmas and New Year holiday period, then the actual voting may commence after this period.