ICANN/DNSO

14 June 2001

Secretariat Internal Procedure for the GA vote handling

This Secretariat Internal Procedure for the GA vote handling is based on the last GA Chair election requirements described in http://www.dnso.org/dnso/notes/2001.GA-chair-election-ranking.html.

The GA vote request for 4 weeks of the strong Secretariat support. The nomination process lasts 1 week, the acceptances closes 3 hours after nomination's closure, the endorsement process lasts 1 week, the vote itself lasts 1 week. Altogether it is 4 weeks of planned activities, which must be exectuted on time, by a well trained engineer, knowing a lot about DNSO structure and functionning. Some actions must be done on the DNSO server under root privileges, which has impact on security considerations. The DNSO web site tree includes approximately 600 pages plus more than 3400 pages in public mailing list archives, it is quite a huge site, bigger than ICANN (the ICANN web site tree includes approximately 1100 pages and has no public mailing lists archives). Any manipulation of the DNSO web site tree request for an excellent knowledge of its implementation and cross-dependencies, as well as about naming scheme used within the web site.

Secretariat Project Manager items list:

• Set up the calendar with precision of hours, in a way that the Secretariat Engineer, the GA Chair and the NC Chair are satisfied. Ensure the permanent presence of the Secretariat Engineer or his backup for actions listed below.
• Keep things under control whatever arrive, be ready to find solution to any problem which may arise (including to do things by yourself in extreme situations). Be permanently available on phone or on e-mail during 4 weeks necessary to complete the whole election process.

Secretariat Engineer items list:

1. (Day D-1) Preparation of documents.
   • Prepare the set of pages in the web site voting tree dedicated to that election.
2. (Day D) Prepare the nomination process.
   • Update the main page of the web site (to indicate an ongoing action) as well as the main index related to the GA administration documents keeping the record of all GA activity.
   • Create the set of mailing list and archives dedicated to nomination and endorsements. Generate the corresponding mail aliases (under root privilege).
   • Notify the Watchdog Committee the process of nominations and acceptances is about to begin and ask them to supervise and be ready to answer questions.
   • For the record post that notification to the nomination list.
3. (Day D, Hour H) Open the nomination process.
   • Draft and send the call for nomination to all GA lists (ga, announce, council), including URL to web pages you prepared.
4. (Day D to D+7, one week)
   • Take care of periodical and frequent updating of web pages as nominations arrive.
   • Send the request for acceptance to each nominated person. of web pages as acceptances arrive
   • Take care of periodical and frequent updating of web pages as acceptances arrive.
5. (Day D+7, Hour H) Close the nomination process.
6. (Day D+7, Hour H+3) Close the acceptance process.
   • Notify the Watchdog Committee the process of nominations and acceptances is about to terminate, and that the corresponding lists will be closed immediately.
   • For the record post that notification to the nomination list.
   • Close the corresponding mailing list (under root privilege) to ensure an automated system refusal for any messages arriving after the deadline.
7. (Day D+7, Hour H+3, Within 3 hours window) Prepare the endorsements process.
   • Prepare the short list of nominated candidates for endorsements.
   • Check the membership lists in case anybody challenge persons participating in nomination process. In case of problem contact the Watchdog Committee.
   • Update the relevant web pages in the web site voting tree as well as the main page of the web site.
8. (Day D+7, Hour H+6) Open the endorsement process.
   • Draft and send the call for endorsements to all GA lists (ga, announce, council), including URL to web pages you prepared.
9. (Day D+7 to D+14, one week)
   • Take care of periodical and frequent updating of web pages as endorsements arrive.
10. (Day D+14, Hour H+6) Close the endorsement process.
    • Notify the Watchdog Committee the process of endorsement is about to terminate.
    • For the record post that notification to the endorsement list.
    • Close the corresponding mailing list (under root privilege) to ensure an automated system refusal for any messages arriving after the deadline.
    • Check the log files and prepare the record of automated system refusals in case anybody challenge the closure of nominations, acceptances or endorsements.
    • Check the membership lists in case anybody challenge persons participating in endorsement process. In case of problem contact the Watchdog Committee.
11. (Day D+14, Hour H+6, Within 24 hours window) Prepare the vote and ballots.
    • Prepare the ballot with the list of candidates.
    • Close the electorate list for that vote.
    • Generate the personalised individual (key-signed) ballots for the electorate. Go through the double verification scheme.
    • Make an immediate backup before any sending.
    • Draft a basic outline for that ballot and post it to GA lists (ga, announce, council), including URL to web pages you prepared.
    • Generate the mail alias for the vote replies (under root privilege).
    • Post the individual ballots.
12. (Day D+22, Hour H+6) Close the vote.
    • Notify the Watchdog Committee the process of vote is about to terminate.
    • For the record post that notification to the vote list.
    • Close the corresponding vote mail alias (under root privilege) to ensure an automated system refusal for any messages arriving after the deadline.
13. (Day D+22, Hour H+6, Within 48 hours window) Calculate the vote results.
    • Check the received ballots and fix those which may be considered valid (mailing systems are strange products behaving sometimes is a way out of control of many users - there is no reason they be disfranchised). Prepare the document indicating fixed or discarded ballots.
    • Check Delivery-Reports related to the vote (Voting Registry may have inaccurate e-mail addresses of those GA members who forgot or could not take care to update it). Add this information to the document about received ballots. Update Voting Registry database.
    • Calculate the results according to the mathematical mechanism used (Majority or Instant Runoff). Double check it. Prepare the notification of results. Check voting rules used and indicate numbers for electorate, required number of answers for valid vote, required majority (50 percent or 2/3), etc. Notify the Watchdog Committee, and ask for any comments.
14. (Day D+28, Hour H, deadline for results)
    • Update the relevant web pages in the web site voting tree as well as the main page of the web site.
    • Post results to the GA lists (ga, announce, council), including URL to the web pages you prepared.
    • Prepare comments (feedback) to the Secretariat Project Manager about any difficulties, corrections or improvements to foresee for the next vote.