MANRS Steering Committee Appointment Process 2023

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31 October 2023, Version 1.1

The MANRS initiative is undertaking a process to appoint a number of members to its MANRS Steering Committee, in accordance with the MANRS Community Charter. This provides an opportunity for the MANRS community and its participating organizations to select their representatives who will oversee and develop the initiative that is improving the resilience and security of the Internet’s global routing system.

The functions of the Steering Committee and the responsibilities of its members are outlined in Section 3 of the MANRS Community Charter.

The MANRS Participants are those organizations defined in Section 1.4 of the MANRS Community Charter. Their designated contact persons are those as notified to the MANRS Secretariat and recorded in the MANRS Database.

The MANRS Secretariat is defined in Section 1.7 of the MANRS Community Charter.

1. Nominations

1.1 The nomination period will open on 1 October 2023 at 00.01 UTC and will close on 28 October 2023 at 23.59 UTC.

1.2 Only individual persons may be nominated although there are no restrictions on who may be nominated. It is not necessary to be a representative of a MANRS Participant, and all retiring members of the MANRS Steering Committee are also eligible.

1.3 Prospective candidates may either self-nominate or be nominated by any MANRS Participant. All nominations must be submitted on the nominations form.

1.4 Upon the nomination period closing, a list of all the nominated candidates will be posted on the MANRS website and notified by email to the designated contact person(s) of each MANRS Participant.

2. Election

2.1 There are three (3) positions to be appointed on the MANRS Steering Committee, in accordance with Section 3.3 of the MANRS Community Charter.

2.2 If three or fewer candidates are nominated during the nomination period, they shall be appointed unopposed–subject to the confirmation of the Internet Society. If more than three candidates are nominated during the nomination period, a secret ballot shall be held using secure online voting provided by BigPulse.

2.3 The voting method will be a Single Transferable Vote (STV) whereby voters rank candidates in descending order of preference on their ballots.

2.4 A link to the online ballot will be sent by email to the designated contact person at each MANRS Participant prior to the opening of the ballot period.

2.5 The ballot period will open on 1 November 2023 at 00.01 UTC and will close on 3 November 2023 at 23.59 UTC.

2.6 Each MANRS Participant may submit one ballot each, expressing at least one preference but up to as many preferences as there are candidates listed on the ballot.

2.7 Upon the ballot period closing, the results will be posted on the MANRS website and notified by email to the designated contact person(s) of each MANRS Participant, with a link provided to the BigPulse data.

2.8 The results of the ballot will be used to appoint the members of the MANRS Steering Committee. The three highest ranked candidates will be appointed for a 3-year term each, running from 8 November 2023 to 3 November 2026–subject to confirmation of the Internet Society.

3. MANRS Steering Committee Membership

3.1 The appointed members along with the existing six (6) members will constitute the MANRS Steering Committee from 6 November 2023.

3.2 In the event that less than nine (9) positions have been filled, the Internet Society may make appointments as necessary.

3.3 At the earliest opportunity, the members of the Steering Committee will determine which of their number shall serve as Chair and which as Deputy Chair until 3 November 2024.

3.4 All members of the MANRS Steering Committee may serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms, as defined in Section 3.4 of the MANRS Community Charter.

4. Election Supervision & Dispute Resolution

4.1 The nomination and election process will be supervised by an Election Chair who shall be an individual appointed by the Internet Society and shall not be from a MANRS Participant. They shall have the following responsibilities:

4.1.1 to oversee the nomination and election process;
4.1.2 to identify any anomalies or issues during the nomination and election process;
4.1.3 to resolve any complaints or disputes with assistance from the Internet Society’s legal team;
4.1.4 to declare the election results.

Jeremy Harrison (APNIC) <[email protected]> will act as the Election Chair. Any complaints or disputes should be submitted to Joseph Lorenzo Hall <[email protected]>.

4.2 The MANRS Secretariat will perform the role of Election Officer. It shall have the following responsibilities:

4.2.1 to compile the electoral roll;
4.2.2 to administer the call for nominations and publish the list of candidates;
4.2.3 to manage the online voting process;
4.2.4 to provide the Election Chair with the online voting results upon the conclusion of the voting period;
4.2.5 to handle any queries about the nomination and election process in a timely manner, and take appropriate action where necessary.

4.3 Any complaint or dispute related to the nomination and election processes must be lodged in writing with the Election Chair before the declaration of the election results. Only election candidates and the designated contact persons of MANRS Participants may lodge a notice of complaint or dispute.