[atlarge-discuss] Results from "URGENT: Guidance requested" mini-ballot

[espresso@e-scape.net]

Voted: Joey Borda, Micheal Sherrill, Hugh Blair, Stephen Waters,
Jeff Williams, David Farrar, DVB Rao, Bruce Young, Holger Steiner,
Richard Henderson - Total: 10
Abstention: Jan Siren, who agreed to act according to the results
            since he is in the same position as I
Commented offlist: 3 - see below

>---Ballot starts---
>
>I vote to have Judyth Mermelstein do the following with
>the membership list information provided to her:
>
>  0 [  ] discard it unread

>  0 [  ] retain it, encrypted, for backup purposes only

>  7 [XXXXXXX] retain it for use during the upcoming election as a
>         means of distributing notices to all members

>  8 [XXXXXXXX] retain it for use during the coming election as
>         a voters' list against which incoming ballots should
>         be checked

>  3 [XXX] retain it and keep it updated using the FTP access
>         information provided to me

******* NOTE: These actions should be taken *only* for this current
******* process - the process of re-electing a new Panel. That
******* new panel should then determine who holds the list.

for this election only, per Hugh's suggestion.

>  3 [XXX] release it to Joop in order to update the ICANNATLARGE.COM
>         database and the list used by the Polling Booth
One said [Insert: "as soon as possible after a panel election, and with
the sanction of that elected panel"]

>  1 [X] release it to Jefsey and Bruce for use as they see fit
>         in creating and operating a separate ICANNATLARGE.ORG
>         voting application

>  1 [ X ] release it to all of the most recent list of Panelists

>  2 [ XX ] Other: please specify.

*******  Joop should send you and Jan any address he has that
*******  he feels are also members and those addresses/names
*******  should be merged/added to your 'master' list.

>  Specification as follows:
>
>  Retain the information while seeking a neutral third party under
>contract in which the security and privacy of the members in that
>list is guaranteed under a Nondisclosure provision.  Use of
>said data prescribed in said contract to include, non release
>of said membership list to any party other than the contracted
>party and elected officers of the to be formed organization
>now known as ICANNATLARGE.ORG with each officer
>signing the same nondisclosure agreement/contract, to be in
>effect in perpetuity, without exception.

>
>---Ballot ends---

Additional comments not on the ballot:

---
>The more the merrier, I don't see any problem with compiling all list
>from
>all available sources. For fact, Joanne and Myself tried very hard to
>even
>include the original 76k in such a list. (in the end Icann had control
>of
>all the registrants email addresses).
>
>Jan and You should do your best to include everybody possible, and
>make to
>available to those who maintain and support this forum.
>
>James Khan
---

---Jan Siren:
>Judyth, you have done an admirable job of describing events to date.
>I
>confirm, from my own experience, all that you have reported.  Nothing
>*I*
>have done with the list so far invalidates nor precludes any of the
>ballot
>options you presented.  Further, I pledge to abide by the outcome of
>your
>poll (even if the March 10th response date, which by the way provides
>an
>appropriate span of time, precludes Rio for example).
>
>I should mention, for clarification, that the mailing list as you and
>I have
>received it may be ideal for spamming, but is short of the mark for
>the
>tedious process of poll-watching, since it isn't alphabetized.  I
>mentioned
>previously to Vittorio that I was going ahead with alphabetizing the
>list on
>my own (low tech skills are adequate!).
---

---Joop Teernstra:
>I do not know how the list that Vittorio gave you looks, but the
>website
>itself provides a way to sort the member names in alphabetic order.
>(three options: alphabetical, by country and chronological. Default is
>chronological)
---

OFFLIST ANONYMOUS COMMENTS

1. >Are you prepared to receive requests from Internet users...asking
if they are on that list ?
>
>Will you be personally liable for including people...who may not
>desire to be on such a list or know they are on it ?
>
>Could the reason be that the list is kept secret to hide the fact that
>the people who constructed the list added people
>without their knowledge ?...or allowed people to be added who are not
>real people or who provided no credentials ?
>
>As an aside, the recent list of trusted and untrusted people is
>interesting...there are numerous people NOT listed
>in either category, and likely fall into the list of the **most**
>untrusted people. It was interesting to note which names
>were NOT on that list. Does that indicate that the general public is
>not aware ?...or, have the lists been artificially
>manipulated ?
>
>...at the end of the day, there are 160-bits in the packet
>headers...you can not manipulate those...software does that...


2. Another correspondent whose name is withheld by request
   wrote to me at some length on various aspects of our
   problems but suggested the following be done:

   a) ask Karl Auerbach to resume his former role as "keeper
      of the membership list" (something he had apparently
      done with everyone's blessing when the group started,
      before I came on the scene) since he is demonstrably
      reliable and trustworthy

   b) ask Elizabeth Portneuve if she would kindly run the
      election for us, since she, too, is trustworthy and
      knows how to handle the process already

   c) (later) add these questions (and others) to a Polling
      Booth vote before the election process starts so as
      to hold the elections in the manner most acceptable
      to the membership.

Finally, Jefsey Morfin did not fill in the ballot but wrote at
length and we exchanged several messages. I'll try to
summarize his main points:

   a) as he stated in a message to the list, the election
      should be held using Joop's Polling Booth, with 5
      "watchdogs" including himself, and he should be given
      administrative access to the Polling Booth

   b) since I had no right to get the list from Vittorio,
      I should have sent it to him without asking the rest
      of you what to do

   c) as a "watchdog" [which I am not yet since we haven't
      yet agreed on what we will be doing when with which
      process(es)] I not only should remain impartial
      during the election period but also should have known
      I had lost my right to speak my mind to you about
      anything even now

   d) I am personally responsible for the "killing of the
      atlarge" (presumably for the opinions I have voiced
      here on the need for a well-thought-out and agreed-upon
      election process, and your guidance before I do
      anything at all with the membership list)

I'm afraid I've had to disagree with him about these points,
but I will gladly step back from the "watchdog" role if it
entails a vow of silence or if I have lost the trust of the
membership.

I *think* I've got all the votes tabulated correctly but I
admit I'm very tired so I'd appreciate it if anyone who was
left out above would let us know.

The "turnout" was rather disappointing since I had hoped more
of you would let us all know what you think and that more of the
30-or-so people who subscribe but don't post might have
contacted me off-list with their opinions.

But one can only count the ballots of the people who voted and
assume they are representative. What I can infer from the
results is that

- Most voters want the list used for sending notices and as
  a voters' list for this upcoming election.

- No voters want me to throw away the file or encrypt it
  for use as a backup only.

- There is no real agreement on anything else.

Given these results and Jan having already undertaken the labour
of comparing Vittorio's list to Joop's and signalled a
reluctance to get involved with e-mailing notices, I hereby
volunteer to do whatever e-mailing the group decides is
appropriate within the election process it will choose,
and therefore de-volunteer for any task which involves
contact with ballots other than ensuring that they come from
registered members.

Hoping this will be found satisfactory and awaiting your comments,

Judyth



##########################################################
Judyth Mermelstein     "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..."
Montreal, QC           <espresso@e-scape.net>
##########################################################
"A word to the wise is sufficient. For others, use more."
"Un mot suffit aux sages; pour les autres, il en faut plus."
##########################################################



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-unsubscribe@lists.fitug.de
For additional commands, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-help@lists.fitug.de