Path: sn-us!sn-xit-04!sn-xit-05!sn-xit-08!supernews.com!news-out.visi.com!petbe.visi.com!news.tele.dk!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!host81-144-119-253.midband.mdip.bt.NET!not-for-mail From: Molly Mockford Newsgroups: uk.net.news.announce,uk.net.news.config,uk.net.news.management Subject: RESULT: Amend rules relating to fast track of guidelines FAILS Followup-To: uk.net.news.management Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 22:09:18 +0000 Lines: 237 Sender: Charles Lindsey as Deputy Control Approved: Charles Lindsey as Deputy Control Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: host81-144-119-253.midband.mdip.bt.net (81.144.119.253) X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de 1071544355 5210333 81.144.119.253 ([99345]) X-Orig-Path: clerew!clw.cs.man.ac.uk!not-for-mail Xref: sn-us uk.net.news.announce:3391 uk.net.news.config:171791 uk.net.news.management:57362 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ====================================================================== RESULT: Amend rules relating to fast track of guidelines FAILS SUMMARY OF RESULTS: Neither Option A (amend rules) nor Option C (re-open discussion) beat Option B (do not amend rules) by 12 votes. Option B, which is the status quo, therefore wins. ====================================================================== Voting closed at 23:59:59 GMT on Tuesday 9th December 2003 Proponent: Dave Mayall Votetaker: Molly Mockford ====================================================================== Distribution: uk.net.news.announce,uk.net.news.management,uk.net.news.config ====================================================================== The full results follow below in the following order: 1) Information on the ballot 2) Detail of results 3) Individual Vote Details 4) Votetaker's Comments 5) Voting and Appeal Guidelines 6) Rationale and Proposals ====================================================================== 1) INFORMATION ON THE BALLOT 41 valid votes were received at the voting address during the period of the vote. 58 requests for ballot papers were received at the request address, consisting of: 46 genuine requests 1 test by the votetaker 9 virus-generated and infected e-mails 2 notifications from routing ISPs that a virus-bearing e-mail had been deleted ====================================================================== 2) DETAIL OF RESULTS: STAGE ONE - Options compared to Status Quo B (Status Quo) preferred to A (Amend Rules) by 26 votes to 14 (12) B (Status Quo) preferred to C (Re-open Discussion) by 24 votes to 14 (10) C (Re-Open Discussion) preferred to A (Amend Rules) by 20 votes to 19 (1) No option beats Status Quo by 12 or more votes. Accordingly, Status Quo wins and Stage Two is not necessary. ====================================================================== 3) INDIVIDUAL VOTE DETAILS Name E-mail Y N ROD (Newsgroup) Dave Dave community-spirit demon oc ku 1 3 2 {R} {R} semolina gro 1 3 2 Adam D. Barratt vote+pro+ft+2003-11 adam-barratt gro ku 3 1 2 Alan Fleming af etrigan gro 1 - - Alex D. Baxter alex-news oenone demon oc ku 1 2 3 Andrew Hartley andrew p hartley student mmu ac ku 1 3 2 Anthony R. Gold bigfoot davros gro 3 1 2 Barry Salter znlnyyfhpxf southie em ku - 1 - Brett Paul Dunbar brett dimetrodon demon oc ku 3 2 1 Brian Brian bjforster force9 oc ku 3 1 2 Charles Lindsey chl clerew man ca ku 3 1 2 Chris Croughton chris keristor gro 1 3 2 Clive Feather clive davros gro 3 1 2 Clive R Robertson fasttrack2 clive gro ku 2 1 3 Dave Johnson requiem freeuk moc 3 1 2 Dave Mason xft02 sarnie gro ku 1 3 2 Dave Mayall dave research-group oc ku 1 1 1 David Mahon dmahon_vote_xft02 amigo oc ku 3 1 2 Dick Gaughan dickg dickalba demon oc ku 3 1 2 Edward King eaking ulape gro ku 1 - - Geoff Berrow bl ckdog oc ku 3 1 2 Graham Drabble graham drabble lineone ten 3 2 1 Ian jackson ijackson chiark greenend gro ku 3 1 2 Jim Riley jimrtex pipeline moc 2 1 3 John Briggs john briggs4 ntlworld moc 3 1 2 Mike Fleming mike tauzero oc ku 3 1 2 Mysteron mysteron zetnet oc ku 2 1 3 Owen Rees owen rees tesco ten 2 1 3 Paul {voter} watman clara oc ku 1 3 2 Paul Carpenter paul pcserv demon oc ku 3 1 2 Paul Harper paul harper ten 1 3 2 Pete The Gardener pete_the_gardener hotmail moc 1 3 2 Peter Robinson pmrobinson gmx ten 2 1 3 Peter Smyth psmyth kuf ten 3 1 2 Richard Clayton richard highwayman moc 1 3 2 Squire squireb bryhod99 demon oc ku 3 1 2 Steve Firth voting malloc oc ku 1 3 2 Stuart O'Donnell stuart o'donnell venicones demon oc ku 1 2 3 The Barsteward thebarsteward freeuk moc 3 1 2 Tim Sharrock tim sharrock gro ku 2 1 3 Wm tcnw61 tarrcity demon oc ku 1 3 2 REJECTED VOTE None ====================================================================== 4) VOTETAKER'S COMMENTS A straightforward vote with no problems. During the course of the vote, a notice was posted to uk.net.news.announce reminding anyone who had voted in the earlier, halted, CFV that they should request a new ballot paper. This announcement had no noticeable effect on the pattern of ballot paper request and it seems, therefore, that the great majority of those interested were already aware of the re-issued CFV. The load of virus-generated and infected e-mails to the votetaker's address was very heavy. Although only eleven such e-mails (or what remained of them after being cleaned up en route) were received at the ballot request address, no less than 235 were received direct to the votetaker's address, together with 8 pieces of spam. I recommend that, while the Swen virus remains active, votetakers' "per-vote" addresses should incorporate the string "spam" or "delete" to avoid their being automatically targetted by this virus. Three voters appeared to cast their vote as though it were a "first past the post" vote. Each of them was e-mailed to remind them that they were entitled to express more detailed preferences; none chose to do so. All but eight of the voters completed the voluntary question about the address under which they usually posted to Usenet. Completing this field is of considerable help to the votetaker, especially when the voter is not already well-known under the e-mail address they use to vote. ====================================================================== 5) VOTING AND APPEAL GUIDELINES This vote was conducted by a neutral third party member of UKVoting. UKVoting is a group of independent votetakers who count votes on behalf of the uk.* hierarchy and other 3rd parties. The rules under which votes for the uk.* hierarchy are taken are posted regularly to uk.net.news.announce or can be found at the following URL: The UKVoting web pages can be found at There is a five day discussion period after these results are posted to uk.net.news.announce. Allegations of irregularity should be sent to control (at) usenet.org.uk ====================================================================== 6) RATIONALE AND PROPOSAL 6.1. RATIONALE RATIONALE from the last RFD The proponent recently submitted an RFD to amend the number of objections which automatically halt a fast track. That RFD was prompted by the anomolous situation, where the guidelines permit guideline changes to be fast tracked, but there are sufficient people who oppose fast tracking guideline changes to ensure that all such fast tracks are doomed to fail. The proponent is of the opinion that the position should be regularised one way or the other. The RFD on number of fast tracks has received considerable opposition, and it is apparent that the view of the community tends towards the opinion that fast track is not appropriate for changes to the guidelines, accordingly that RFD has been withdrawn by the proponent. This proposal regularises the position, by explicitly removing the fast track option for changes to the guidelines. END RATIONALE ===================================================================== 6.2. PROPOSAL In paragraph 5 of the "Guidelines for Group Creation" After 'by the "fast track" method' ADD '(RFDs proposing changes to the guidelines shall not proceed by the fast track method)' In "The UK Usenet Committee", Final section (Rule Changes) DELETE The final paragraph (If the change is trivial....) UNLESS the paragraph in question has already been removed as a result of the ongoing RFD "Amend Guidelines (Rule Changes)". END PROPOSALS - -- Molly Mockford Votetaker, Amend rules relating to fast track of guidelines vote -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 5.0i Charset: noconv iQCVAwUBP94xGGOfGXkh8vHZAQEDkQQAlVDrJQcMHq2QsvSZoLq8FQeDZiiXW0jP YyS2iYDAAiPLA0AkWy1SxliqEXmmv62+ALDSt/Gh/PbciVcvnVjq7Jz2Yhfu99jj 3g4jSrWYIMwq3tRRnFxi7KJgF3O5caWSo46oZXQIRRI4dlAJkGAyNhIr24spLKH/ jv/hpgY/DwI= =Tj0C -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----