ACSP Suggestion 2007.31: Change the Voting System

Suggestion

Author: Samuel Weiler   
Submitted On: 24 October 2007

Description:

It’s marvelous that the 2007 board, AC, and NRO slates have (or had) so many strong candidates. When ballots include so many very strong candidates, a single-round plurality election can easily lead to a less-than-ideal result, particularly when selecting for multiple seats.

For the 2008 election, I suggest moving to an election system more suited to dealing with a multitude of strong and credible candidates. I particularly suggest the Condorcet method, which I’ve seen used internally by the IETF’s NomCom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condorcet_method

Timeframe: Immediate

Status: Completed   Updated: 13 March 2008

Tracking Information

ARIN Comment

13 March 2008

With regards to this suggestion for ARIN to “change the voting system,” at its 10 March 2008 meeting the Board of Trustees discussed several options at length, including the Condorcet method specifically stated in this suggestion. While these different voting methods do have some merits, the Board noted the value of simplicity and the fact that the current process is easily understood. The Board decided to continue using the current voting method for ARIN elections.

Suggestion 2007.31 is now considered closed.