RE: [gnso-osc] GNSO Council procedures - avoiding abstention - proxy vote - approval by April 15

["Gomes, Chuck" <cgomes@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In reviewing Philip's suggested changes again, I found another possible
concern about the procedures.  Note the following with particular
attention to the text I bolded:

 

""b. Proxy Voting 

The second remedy is the use of proxy voting, where the vote of an
abstaining Councilor is transferred to another GNSO Councilor. 

i.                     For abstentions declared by Councilors not
appointed by the Nominating Committee the appointing organization may
transfer the vote of the abstaining Councilor to a Proxy Holder being:
(1) the House Nominating Committee Appointee, or (2) another of its
Constituency Councilors, or (3) another Councilor within the Stakeholder
Group."

 

"ii. If an abstention is declared by a House NCA, once formal
notification has occurred pursuant to the procedures in Paragraph
4.5.4-a, a proxy is automatically transferred to the GNSO Council's
unaffiliated NCA (hereinafter Council NCA) . . ."

 

"Mutiple proxies. A GNSO Councilor is not permitted to be a Proxy Holder
for more than one vote for any specific motion. An appointing
organization may appoint more than one Proxy Holder. The first
abstention remedy transferred to the Council NCA takes precedence. "

 

According to these procedures, any appointing organization or any voting
NCA may transfer a vote to the Council NCA.  In the case of Councilors
not appointed by the NomCom, there are other options besides the Council
NCA, but in the case of the house NCAs, they only have one option: the
Council NCA.  Moreover, if a vote has already been transferred to the
Council NCA, there is no option left for the house NCAs.  

 

I believe that one of the solutions I proposed earlier also solves this
problem: give the house NCAs the additional option of transferring their
vote to another Councilor in the applicable house.  This seems to be a
very simple solution as well.

 

Chuck

 

From: owner-gnso-osc@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-gnso-osc@xxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Philip Sheppard
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 5:12 AM
To: gnso-osc@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gnso-osc] GNSO Council procedures - avoiding abstention -
proxy vote - approval by April 15

 

For approval April 15

 

As the OSC may be aware Council raised some concern with the current
rules on proxy voting.

Proxy voting is allowed as one remedy to avoid an abstention.

The source of the concern was that the Council rules assumed the
existence of procedures in Constituency charters that were not
universal.

 

I attach a proposed version that avoids this assumption while retaining
the essence of the proxy option.

I have also taken the opportunity to simplify language in this section
to avoid ambiguity.

 

Please may I have your approval to recommend this change to Council?

Deadline is April 15.

 

Philip Sheppard

OSC Chair