Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees/Call for feedback: Community Board seats/Reports/2021-02-16 Conversation with Wikimedians of DRC - User Group
Participants
edit- Mahuton - (Facilitation for French language) Facilitator
- Bachounda - (Facilitation support for French language and MENA region.)(notetaker)
- Zita - (Facilitation for Sub-Saharan Africa region)
- Abel Mbula
- Ir NasiBU VAlentin
- Yves Sefu MAdika
- Nzale Aembe (Marie)
Ideas discussed
editRanked voting system, Quotas, Vetting of candidates, and the Selection Committee
Ranked voting system
editParticipants said that the new voting system looks complex when compared to the current one, it is not so different. Moreover, it does not really favor under-represented communities. They argued that if under-represented communities don’t have many candidates, they will not have enough chance to get elected even with the new voting system.
Quotas
editParticipants said that the gender gap is a big problem and we need to take a closer look at it.
Vetting of candidates
editParticipants said that a basic experience with wikis is enough.
The Selection committee
editFor participants, having a new selection committee will make the process longer. Participants suggested that the community should have confidence in the board election committee to lead the selection.
New ideas suggested
editParticipants said that the new system can be inspired from the presidential voting system in the U.S. with elections in parties to determine candidates. They could be electoral regions and in each region a regional election is held, at the end comes a list of candidates,which the whole global community can elect by ranking.
About the process
editParticipants said that they are happy with the move of the board of having more diversity. They added that even though the candidates will not represent their regions, it brings more of their perspectives and brings in African perspectives.