Elections

GSF Elections 

Elected Chairs who lead our working groups (WGs) maintain governance, define strategy, and uphold our Code of Conduct while nurturing projects and people. Each WG has three co-chair appointments available in this election cycle. Both Steering and General members can become chairs.

Working Group Overview

WGs are chartered by the Steering Committee to handle one or more projects. WGs will typically be formed around a functional area; examples of groups include the Open Source Group, the Standards Group, Policy Group and the Community Group. All outputs produced by the WG that are intended to be published as GSF deliverables MUST be approved by the Steering Committee. 

Term

Chairs hold their position for a 2-year term as long as their organization remains a member of the foundation. The GSF Organization and Process document defines how to fill a vacant position should an officer resign before a term expires.

Call for nominations

A call for nominations is sent out to all GSF members to offer an opportunity to submit their names for consideration of a chair appointment. The existing chairs can submit their names for consideration to run for a second term.

1. If < two names are nominated, they are both voted in unopposed for the term; no voting occurs.

2. If >2 names are nominated, there is a vote, and the chairs with the highest and second-highest votes are selected.

Chair Role & Responsibilities

• The Chair has overall responsibility for the management of a WG.

• Chairs SHALL maintain strict impartiality and act in the foundation's interest in performing their tasks.

• Ensure the technical activities of the Group are progressed promptly following the processes and procedures of GSF.

• Organize and run the meetings following the processes and practices of the GSF.

• The work and progress of the Group are appropriately communicated through regular status reports to the SC.

• The Chair MAY delegate tasks to the co-chair, including chairing the Group as and when necessary.

• Facilitate discussion during the meeting, encouraging all members to participate in the decision-making process

Please Consider:

• This role requires at most 2-3 hours per week, including chairing meetings, preparation time, and offline communications.

• WG Chairs must lead with empathy and create a welcoming space for technical and non-technical contributors. 

• WG Chairs represent the GSF, so must ensure benefits are shared among all. 

Critical dates for the elections

Nomination Process

To submit a candidature for a Working Group Chair position.

1.  Click here to Submit Chair Nomination (You may self-nominate for these positions. The nomination must contain the following information)

2. Include the following information.

   1. The candidate's name and company

   2. identify if it is a self-nomination or the nomination of somebody else

   3. NOTE: The use of GSF email lists shall not be permitted for any campaign purposes by candidates

Election Officers

The election officers for this election are Asim Hussain (GSF Chairperson) and Sean McIlroy (GSF PM).

Voting

At the GSF, each member organization gets one vote. The members' official primary (or alternate if the primary is unavailable) representative casts a vote for their organization. 

However, there is a popular vote cast to see who the majority of the working group would like to choose. The member organization will be given the popular vote and cast their ballots or vote independently. 

Voting instructions

1. Any individual from a Steering or General level is entitled to vote.

2. Members are entitled to change their vote as often as they wish until the close of the ballot.

3. Go to [Add link] and click on the corresponding Chair poll message.

4. In the message, click on "Vote Now" - (to be set up in https://www.opavote.com/ )

5. Select your preferred candidate.Working Group Chairs

Current Working Group Chairs

The following members submitted their nomination and started their following positions in December 2023;

Chair Support

Elected Chairs will receive a wide range of support in fulfilling their duties from their Group GSF Ops team, including their own Project Manager.  More details can be found here: GSF Process.