During the holidays I met some folks who used to work at other open source projects. One of them asked me, "What's your favorite part of your job?" Lucky for me, I have a lot of great things to choose from, but the thing that always stands out is the global nature of our community. All the customs, cultures, and values are tough to navigate, but I love learning about the variety of perspectives you all bring to the table. I sincerely believe that this diversity of experince makes our community that much stronger.

That diversity is also why we have two At-Large positions on the Association Board of Directors - positions that are self-nominated and elected by the community. Simply put, the At-large Director position is specifically designed to ensure community representation on the Drupal Association board. If you are interested in helping shape the future of the Drupal Association, we encourage you to read this post and be prepared to nominate yourself between 1 February and 20 February, 2015.

How Do Nominations and Elections Work?

Specifics of the election mechanics were decided through a community-based process in 2012 with participation by dozens of Drupal community members. More details can be found in the proposal that was approved by the Drupal Association board in 2012 and adapted for use this year.

What Does the Drupal Association Board Do?

The Board of Directors of the Drupal Association are responsible for financial oversight and setting the strategic direction of the Drupal Association. New board members will contribute to the strategic direction of the Drupal Association. Board members are advised of, but not responsible for matters related to the day to day operations of the Drupal Association, including program execution, staffing, etc.

Directors are expected to contribute around five hours per month and attend three in-person meetings per year (financial assistance is available if required). You can learn more about what’s expected of board members by reviewing the board member agreement. You can also check out the presentation and summary we shared this summer.

Who can run?

There are no restrictions on who can run, and you don't need anyone to nominate you.

What will I need to do during the elections?

During the elections, members of the Drupal community will ask questions of candidates. They'll post comments on candidate profiles here on assoc.drupal.org and to the public Drupal Association group at http://groups.drupal.org/drupal-association. We'll also organize at least two all-candidates meetings (which will be announced on the Drupal Association group and blog), where community members and candidates will be able to ask questions and share information. The more you can participate, the more Drupal community members will be able to find out what you would bring to the Drupal Association board.

How Do I Run?

Candidates needed! If you are considering running, please read the entirety of this post, and then be prepared to complete a self-nomination form. This form will be open on 1 February, 2015 through 20 February, 2015 at midnight UTC. You'll be asked for some information about yourself and your interest in the Drupal Association Board. When the nominations close, your candidate profile will be published and available for Drupal community members to browse. Comments will be enabled, so please monitor your candidate profile so you can respond to questions from community members.

Who can vote?

Voting is open to all individuals who have a Drupal.org account by the time nominations open and who have logged in at least once in the past year. These individuals' accounts will be added to the voters list on association.drupal.org and they will have access to the voting.

To vote, you will rank candidates in order of your preference (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). The results will be calculated using an "instant runoff" method. For an accessible explanation of how instant runoff vote tabulation works, see videos linked in this discussion.

Elections process

Voting will be held from 9 March, 2015 through 20 March, 2015. During this period, you can review and comment on candidate profiles on assoc.drupal.org and engage all candidates through posting to the Drupal Association group. We'll also be scheduling and announcing two phone-in all candidates meetings, where community members and candidates can ask questions and get to know each other.

Have questions? Please contact Drupal Association Executive Director Holly Ross. Many thanks to nedjo for pioneering this process and documenting it so well last year!

Flickr photo: Kodak Views