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PMC Voting Procedures
This document details how the Avalon PMC has agreed to handle voting.
People Involved in the Voting Process
The Proposer
The proposer is the one who comes up with the discussion that needs to be addressed. Any member of the Avalon community may start the discussion. The proposer must follow the procedures listed under the heading "Prior to the Vote".
The Vote Administrator
The vote administrator is the person who tallies the votes and reports the results. The person who actually puts a proposal up for vote is usually the vote administrator, although this task can be taken on by someone else.
The Voter
A voter is someone who expresses support, opposition or abstention for the subject being voted on. A voter must be an Avalon PMC member. Input is appreciated from committers and all other members of the community, but only votes from PMC members are counted.
Prior to the Vote
Before any vote can take place, the subject must be discussed. All such discussions take place on the Avalon developer or PMC mailing list, and have the text "[PROPOSAL]" in the subject line. That practice alerts members to the fact that you eventually intend to call a vote on the subject.
The Vote
When the proposal is ready to be adopted by the community, the Proposer will call for a vote on the Avalon developers or PMC mailing list. The call for vote must have the text "[PMC'*_:VOTE]" in the subject line. That practice alerts the members to the fact that the prior proposal is now ready to vote on, and discussion should stop for the proposal.
How to Vote
The voter responds to the call for vote with an expression of support, opposition, or abstention. The exact way to express the voter's position is listed below:
- +1 a vote supporting the subject
- +0 a vote abstaining from the subject (but showing some support).
- -0 a vote abstaining from the subject (but showing disapproval).
- -1 a vote opposing the subject
Counting Votes
The vote administrator will count only the last vote from each voter. That means a voter may change their vote at any time during the duration of the vote.
Types of Votes
There are two classes of votes: a Qualified Majority Vote and a Normal Majority Vote.
Qualified Majority Vote
Any vote that affects the texts "Avalon PMC Charter" or "Avalon PMC Policies and Procedures" is a Qualified Majority Vote. For this type of vote to pass, it requires support from two-thirds (2/3) of the voters.
Normal Majority Vote
All votes that do not fall under the heading of Qualified Majority Vote are handled as a Normal Majority Vote. If more than half (1/2) of the voters support it, then the vote has passed.
Voting Qualifications
In order for any vote to be considered binding it must have quorum, and be held for the proper amount of time.
Quorum
For all votes, there must be at least three (3) voters and half (1/2) of the PMC must cast a vote.
Duration
All votes will be open for an initial period of one week. The Vote Administrator may close the vote at any time after that period if quorum has been achieved. If quorum could not be reached within the initial one-week period, the vote will remain open for one additional week. If the vote still has not achieved quorum, then it is considered failed. The proposer can choose to bring it up later when quorum can be reached.
After the Vote
When the vote is closed, the results of the vote are summarized by the Vote Administrator. The vote administrator will send an email to the Avalon developers or PMC list with the text "[PMC_*':VOTE-RESULT]" in the subject that has the summary. The summary will include the count of all
+1, +0, -0, and -1 responses, and the final verdict of whether the subject passed.
Disagreements
Disagreements concerning voting may be directed to the Chair. The Chair's opinion shall be final and binding upon the PMC.