ASO AC Procedures to Appoint Members to Various Bodies

7. Procedures to Appoint Members to Various Bodies

The Address Council (AC) appoints members to various positions on committees, working groups, task forces, or other bodies. This procedure will apply to such appointments, except where a more specific procedure exists. For example, this procedure does not apply to appointment of ICANN board members, because there is a separate procedure for that.

7.1. Non Time Constrained Appointment Requests

If there is sufficient time, the AC will evaluate the request to make an appointment in an ASO AC meeting. The address council may choose, by simple majority vote of the AC members attending the meeting, to

  • make the appointment,
  • defer until the next (planned or emergency) ASO AC meeting, or
  • hold an electronic vote (eVote).

7.2. Solicitation of Interest

The AC members may decided to solicit interest from a wider group than those in attendance at the meeting, including, but not limited to:

  • other AC members not in attendance,
  • AC members whose term is expiring at the end of the year,
  • AC members elect, and
  • outside individuals, such as NRO or RIR staff, or member of the NRO/ASO community.

7.3. Time Constrained Appointment Requests

The AC Chair may decide to make the appointment by eVote after discussion on the ac-discuss mailing list, in order to meet appointment deadline.

7.4. eVotes

All eVotes must have a scheduled start and end date and time, in a specified time zone. The voting must be open for no less than seven days. Approximately one day before the scheduled end of voting time, each AC member will get an email noting if their individual vote has been recorded, instructions on how to vote, and the total number of votes cast. The election will close at the end of the scheduled voting time or may close early if all AC members have voted. The appointment will be based on a relative majority if more than half of the AC members have voted.

7.4.1. eVotes for Multiple Appointments

In the event of an election for multiple appointments, members will be permitted as many votes as there are appointments to fill. Each member may vote for as many or as few candidates as they desire, up to the maximum set in terms of 7.4.1, but may not submit more than one vote per candidate. The appointments will be based on a relative majority where the candidates with the most votes will fill the available appointments, provided more than half of the AC members have voted.

7.4.2. eVotes for an Unknown Number of Appointments

It is possible that an eVote can be held where the number of appointments is not known in advance. In this case, members will be permitted as many votes as the number of candidates, or such smaller number as may be decided prior to the start of the eVote. Each member may vote for as many or as few candidates as they desire, up to the maximum set in terms of 7.4.2, but may not submit more than one vote per candidate. The threshold for determining an appointment must be decided prior to the start of the eVote. Some examples include but are not limited to:

  • all candidates tied for first will be selected,
  • all candidates within two votes of the the lead candidate will be selected,
  • the number of votes cast for the candidate in third position will be determined, and all candidates will be selected who receive at least that many votes, or who fall short of that threshold by no more than two votes will be selected,
  • all candidates with a simple majority of votes will be selected.

7.4.3. eVote Extensions

If half or less of the AC have voted, the election will be extended another seven days, unless the AC Chair decides otherwise due to relevant time-restrictions or requirements at a given time. In such a situation the decision of the Chair should be explicitly documented and the AC should be informed.

  • An email will be sent to all AC members announcing the new end date of the vote, and will list the names of those who have already voted. It will also include voting instructions.
  • Votes cast prior to the extension period will be counted, so there is no need to cast a vote in the extension period if the AC member has already voted prior to the extension period.
  • At the conclusion of the extension period, the appointment will be based on a relative majority of those who voted.

7.4.4. eVote Runoffs

In the event that an eVote results in a tie, or similar circumstances, a runoff election will be held including all candidates who were not eliminated during the previous round. To the greatest extent practical, the runoff election will be held in the same manner as the first round, except that, if the first round was an eVote over a period longer than seven days, then the duration of the runoff election will be reduced to seven days, unless the AC Chair decides otherwise due to relevant time-restrictions or requirements at a given time. In such a situation the decision of the Chair should be explicitly documented and the AC should be informed. A runoff election may be closed early if all ASO AC members have voted. This procedure is not included for appointments made in a meeting, as anomalous results can be immediately dealt with through

  • discussion,
  • a newly constrained vote, or
  • a motion about how the results should be considered

7.5. Updates from Appointees

Upon accepting an appointment, appointees shall provide regular updates to the ASO AC on their work, and the work of the body they are appointed to.

  • Appointees may be invited to provide updates during ASO AC meetings.
  • Updates may be provided via email in addition to, or instead of, attendance at a meeting.
  • Appointees may be invited to attend ASO AC meetings as observers, even when no updates will be provided.

Last modified on 08/07/2021