Wikimedia LGBT+/Elections/2023

Wikimedia LGBT+ is a community organization which supports LGBT+ Wikimedia editors and the development of LGBT+ Wikimedia content. The organization maintains regular elections of the Wikimedia LGBT+ board of trustees. Members of Wikimedia LGBT+ in good standing are eligible to vote. This page gives information about the 2023 Wikimedia LGBT+ election for seats on the board of trustees.

Quick information

See election rules at Wikimedia LGBT+/Elections. Post any questions to the talk page.

Here is how the election works:

Candidates for the board nominate themselves
Members of the organization vote on candidates
The election committee processes votes and reports a result
The governance committee confirms the validity of the election, the interpretation of results, and the elected candidates

Ballots go to the registered email address for each member. Vote through that email during the election period.

Election schedule
Date	Task	Notes
30 September 2023	Wikimedia LGBT+ election committee confirms this election documentation
31 October 2023	Deadline for Membership registration to be eligible for this election
1–15 November 2023	candidate nomination period
~~16–30~~ 21 November - 6 December 2023	Voting
7 15 December 2023	confirmation and reporting of election results
20 December 2023	Results posted on this page	elected: User:Kaizenify and user:Paper2040

About this election

Wikimedia LGBT+ does not currently have an elected board. Since its establishment in 2012, the organization has instead managed itself through its governance committee and community meetings.

Wikimedia LGBT+ is currently in a transitional period as it formalizes and develops its administrative practices. This election will seat 2 board members who will collaborate with the governance committee to manage the organization. A later election will seat more trustees, with the intent to eventually position the elected board of trustees to manage Wikimedia LGBT+ as a conventional nonprofit membership organization.

Election stakes

This election is for 2 seats on the Wikimedia LGBT+ board of trustees. The term of service is 3 years.

Powers and responsibilities of these seats include the following:

Appoint and oversee the director of the organization
Review and approve or reject the annual budget of Wikimedia LGBT+'s director
Represent Wikimedia LGBT+ members in circumstances where this organization is required, such as for media comment or institutional partnerships
Present consensus statements when organizations request collective comment, such as for organization surveys from the Wikimedia Foundation

Practical obligations of board members include the following:

participate in monthly governance meetings
answer emails in a timely manner
identify one's legal identity to other members of the Wikimedia LGBT+ board

Voting

Eligible voters are members of the Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group: Wikimedia LGBT+/Membership. Eligible voters receive a ballot by email to the address which they registered. Ballots go out after the confirmation of nominees and before the start of the voting period.

Check your email for your ballot. In case of problem please post to the talk page. Non-members may not vote in this election, but may join as members to vote in the next election.

Nominations

Only members of the organization can nominate themselves for the board

To stand in the election, eligible voters may nominate themselves by editing the election page. Nominees should add a new sub topic titled with their name as they want it to appear on the ballot followed by their candidate profile. Successful candidates in the past have included the following:

personal info and background relevant to the work of Wikimedia & LGBT+ interests
Wikimedia & LGBT+ activities and major achievements
experience that might be relevant to this role
expertise / relevant administrative or governance experience
commitments that you can make to promote ethics, values, diversity, and inclusion
explanation of suitability to serve as a Wikimedia LGBT+ trustee
any special areas / types of activities which would be a focus during a trustee term

Paper2040

HI! Much Love! I would like to nominate myself! I think i would be a good candidate because i can help get more folks involved and i care about lgbt+ ppl and wikipedia alot. I also would love to learn from everyone and to create a welcoming enviornment. - user:Paper2040

(Paper2040 is en:Paperboy Prince, who participates in Wikimedia NYC among other projects.)

Kaizenify

Ayokanmi during one of Wiki LGBT+ trainings for queer participants in Lagos, Nigeria 2021

I am honored to submit my nomination as a candidate for the Wikimedia LGBT+ board of trustees. My name is Ayokanmi from Nigeria, and I advocate for diversity and inclusion, with a passion for the Wikimedia movement and the LGBT+ community. As an active contributor to Wikipedia for over seven years, I have authored several articles on LGBT+ topics, edited numerous others to ensure accuracy and inclusivity, and trained hundreds of others to keep contributing.

As a member of the LGBT+ community, I understand the importance of having a safe space to express oneself and the need for accurate representation of the community in various media. If elected, I would focus on expanding the reach of Wikimedia projects to non-English speaking communities and marginalized groups/regions within the LGBT+ community. I believe that every voice should be heard in the pursuit of knowledge and the promotion of diversity.

My involvement in the Wikimedia community goes beyond editing and contributing to articles. I co-founded the Wiki For Human Rights Nigeria in 2021 with a focus on enhancing the visibility of LGBT+ topics about Nigeria on the Wikimedia projects, which has further changed the landscape of contributions to LGBT+ topics in Nigeria by continuously bridging the knowledge gap and reducing hostility.

My experience as an administrator for various Wikimedia affiliates, including currently directing the programs of Wikimedia UG Nigeria, has equipped me with the necessary administrative and governance skills to serve as a trustee. If elected, I pledge to promote ethics, values, diversity, and inclusion within the Wikimedia community. I will work with other trustees to ensure that the voices of underrepresented communities are heard and included in decision-making processes. I will also work towards creating a safe environment for all contributors to the Wikimedia projects.

In conclusion, I believe that my personal background from a minority region, experience, and commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion make me a suitable candidate for the Wikimedia LGBT+ board of trustees. I am excited about the opportunity to serve the Wikimedia community in this capacity, and I would be honored to have your vote.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely, Kaizenify (talk) 15:02, 14 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Election results

voting results

User:Kaizenify and user:Paper2040 are elected by Wikimedia LGBT+ voters as the first Wikimedia LGBT+ trustees on the organization's board! This election anticipates that the Wikimedia LGBT+ governance committee will confirm their trustee appointments at Wikimedia LGBT+/Governance/2023-12-27, at which time their roles will become official. Comment on the election is invited at any Wikimedia LGBT+ community meeting, the next of which is documented at Wikimedia LGBT/2023-12-28.

For notes about running this election see Talk:Wikimedia LGBT+/Elections. Some things that worked well include

User:Kaizenify and user:Paper2040 stepped forward as candidates and got confirmation in the election
Wikimedia LGBT+ ran an election and improved its commitment to democracy
We established a membership process, and members voted
We have documentation of a process for running elections, which anyone can discuss and improve for future elections

Some things to improve for next time include

The membership process needs to include clarity on when and how people become members, and what they can do as a result
Election organizer user:bluerasberry (me) made errors in the voter list when deleting duplicate registrations. As a result, some members did not receive their ballots. While for this election that error did not change the outcome, it is a major problem in any election to fail to deliver ballots. To correct the problem in the future, confirm the membership list with sufficient time before the election, and then confirm that the count of ballots which go out equal the count of members on the list
This was not a competitive election, which for Wikimedia community organizations is a common occurrence. However, the election itself is an opportunity to get the attention of members and to invite their comment on either the candidates or any aspect of Wikimedia LGBT+ governance. Future elections should offer more options for comment with more clarity.
There needs to be more time between the phases of election. Election organizer user:bluerasberry (me) failed to progress the election on schedule, resulting in delays as noted in the schedule above.

Thanks everyone for participating! Comments welcome on the talk page. Bluerasberry (talk) 21:02, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]