Elections Committee Charter

As amended February 6, 2020

The Elections Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Internet Society (“ISOC”) has the responsibilities, duties, and authority described in this Charter.

I. Purpose

The primary purpose of the Committee is to establish the schedule and parameters for annual elections and to oversee the annual selection of Trustees, with the exception of the explicit responsibilities and duties of the Nominations Committee. The Committee shall not have any powers of the Board.

II. Composition

The Chair of the Committee shall be a Trustee or an Emeritus Trustee who shall be appointed by the Board at the Annual General Meeting. The President shall serve as ex officio member of the Committee. The rest of the members of the committee shall be appointed by the Board at a time of its choosing. In addition to the Chair and the President, the Committee shall consist of at least two (2) Individual Members of ISOC who are appointed by the Board.

III. Special Conflict of Interest Rules

No Committee members may be elected or selected as Trustees in the year during which they sit on the Committee. Note that those elected or selected to serve as trustees during the year will typically start their new term the following year.

IV. Meetings

The Committee shall hold such meetings as the Chair of the Committee deems necessary. 

V. Responsibilities and Duties

The following shall be the principal recurring duties of the Committee in carrying out its responsibilities. These duties are intended as a guide, with the understanding that the Board may modify or supplement them as appropriate:

• Annually propose an overall timetable for Trustee elections to the Board, to be approved by the Board.
• Establish procedures for electing/appointing Trustees, to be approved by the Board.
• Post ballots to the member constituencies authorized to elect Trustees.
• Monitor the counting of ballots and certify the results of the Member voting by constituency.
• Monitor any challenge period and manage any election challenge according to procedures established by the Board.
• Liaison with the IAB to receive any Trustees appointed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (“IETF”).
• Publicly announce the results of the Member election and appointment by the IETF.
• Report the results of the election to the Board at the Annual General Meeting of the Board.