Meet the Candidates

This page documents the "Meet the Candidates" ongoing AB project, origins/scope, guidance / how to, and a list of past Meet the Candidates sessions.

In 2023, the AB resolved (Member-only link) to:

• Use the Member Meeting during election for a “Meet the Candidates” session as matter of policy.
• Send out a written questionnaire early in the election cycle to give time for everyone to respond.
• Use the wiki to record responses, and to update with questions from the Member-led meeting.
• Ask for Team volunteers each election to manage the organization of the questionnaires and set up the wiki pages.
• Be careful with the transcription of the “Meet the Candidates” session (e.g. give participants and the scribe opportunities to correct the minutes).

In 2024, due to the late timing of the Member Meeting, the AB held a separate "Meet the Candidates" session earlier to give the AC and Candidates proper time before and after the session.

In 2023, the AB also organized Meet the Candidates sessions for the TAG election candidates.

Guidance

How to organize the Meet the Candidates sessions for a particular AB/TAG election:

• At the start of the nomination period, the Chairs of the AB and/or TAB should look at the calendar to find a date for the Meet the Candidates session.
  • Chairs should choose a date that falls near the beginning of the voting period, preferably week 2, to give time for Candidates to review the questions and answer them.
  • If the dates work, Chairs can use the existing Member Meeting sessions for Meet the Candidates.
• During the nomination period, the Chairs should put together 4-6 questions for the Candidates, and create the outline for the Meet the Candidates wiki including the questions.
• Once the nomination period is over, the Chairs should contact the nominees regarding the Meet the Candidates session, including a link to the questions and instructions on filling out the wiki.
  • If you are not using the Member Meeting time slots, ask the Candidates what time(s) might work for them. At least 2 sessions should be run to accommodate different time zones.
• Once details are finalized with the Candidates, announce the Meet the Candidates session to AC Forum, including links to the wiki, and calendar invite(s) for the sessions.

How to run the Meet the Candidates sessions for a particular AB/TAG election:

• For each session, ensure you have a scribe and all of the IRC tools are running (Zakim, RRSAgent).
  • If you're running multiple sessions over 24 hours, ensure RRSAgent is aware it might cross over midnight UTC.
• In each session:
  • Remind attendees about the Code of Conduct.
  • Have the Candidates introduce themselves.
  • Provide a link to the Meet the Candidates wiki.
  • Encourage attendees to ask questions, and prioritize audience questions over the pre-arranged ones.
  • Ensure that each Candidate is getting an opportunity to speak if they want to, and all Candidates are getting roughly equal time to address the audience.
• After each session, remind the Candidates that they should review the minutes and ask for any corrections they may want.
• After all of the sessions, give Candidates three business days to review and update the minutes.
• Once the review period is over, ensure the wiki has a link to the minutes, and send a link to the minutes to AC Forum.

Past Meet the Candidates sessions

Most recent first:

• 2024-05-15 AB/ABMeetCandidates2024
• 2023-12-05 TAG/MeetCandidates2023
• 2023-05-16 AB/ABMeetCandidates2023

See Also

• AB