RE: [Tab-elections] Results from the 2022 LF TAB election

From: "Bird, Tim" <Tim.Bird@sony.com>
To: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>,
	Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@suse.cz>, Chris Mason <clm@fb.com>,
	"linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
	"ksummit@lists.linux.dev" <ksummit@lists.linux.dev>
Cc: "tech-board@lists.linuxfoundation.org"
	<tech-board@lists.linuxfoundation.org>,
	"tab-elections@lists.linuxfoundation.org"
	<tab-elections@lists.linuxfoundation.org>
Subject: RE: [Tab-elections] Results from the 2022 LF TAB election
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:12:08 +0000	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <BYAPR13MB250311B16398B6781E1810CBFD4E9@BYAPR13MB2503.namprd13.prod.outlook.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <87leqbse34.fsf@meer.lwn.net>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
> 
> Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@suse.cz> writes:
> 
> > I was wondering, as the voting is fully online now, does it have to
> > still overlap LPC exactly? For example I happened to miss the most
> > important e-mail from CIVS in my inbox during the conference, and while
> > I tried to login there by the activation code, I could only see there I
> > was invited to 2021 poll but didn't see the 2022 one (nor I can see it
> > there now; I assume the link from the CIVS mail would have worked, but
> > too late now).
> >
> > Also, since it seems many of the nominations were last-minute [1] I only
> > saw two of them by Friday. So even if I didn't miss the CIVS e-mail, I
> > would have to read through the manifestos and rank the candidates
> > quickly during LPC, which wouldn't have been ideal.
> >
> > So maybe the vote could be scheduler for the week before LPC? And then
> > both the new and old TAB members that happen to travel there could meet
> > there knowing the results already.
> 
> The current charter for the TAB ties the voting to the kernel summit; in
> the move online we interpreted that as running during LPC, where what
> remains of the kernel summit is held.
> 
> I don't think it has to be that way; it might be better to pick a time
> of the year when things are relatively calm and just always do the
> election then.  It would require a charter change, but that should be
> doable.
> 

I'd be in favor of this.  When we did in-person elections in the past, it
was good to tie it to some neutral, Linux-focused event.  But now that
we allow voting at a distance, it seems like it would be good to decouple
the voting from an event.  I was always a little bothered by the fact that
the in-person voting gave nominees who were present a substantial advantage
over those who were, for some reason or another, not in attendance.

Also, can we set the deadline for close of nominations a little bit earlier, relative
to the voting.  I think it would be good to give people at least a week to consider
the candidates and do some research.

Just my 2 cents.
 -- Tim