CHAOSS Weekly Community Call, Jan 20, 2026

CHAOSS Weekly Community Call, Jan 20, 2026 ![rw-book-cover](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eFP-ANg_vHc/maxresdefault.jpg) 🔗 **Source:** [CHAOSS Weekly Community Call, Jan 20, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFP-ANg_vHc) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: #chaoss #open-source #elections #community-governance > author: CHAOSS > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFP-ANg_vHc > date created: 2025-01-20 15:00 > > # 🏷️ Title: CHAOSS Weekly Community Call - Governance Election Announcement >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Submit PR to add contributions to community contributions file for voter eligibility — before election timeline #chaoss - [H2] Consider volunteering as election officer (if not running for board) — applications needed soon #elections - [H3] Review charter changes on website and election documentation on GitHub — governance transparency #open-source ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [[#📝 Summary]] - [[#📖 Main Content]] - [[#🗒️ Notes]] - [[#📚 References]] - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase]] - [[#📰 Newsletter]] - [[#✅ Action Items]] - [[#🧪 Hypotheses]] - [[#📊 Methodology]] - [[#❓ Questions]] - [[#🔮 Future Research]] - [[#💡 Implications]] - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] - [[#🛡️ DARVO Analysis]] - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] ### 🔗 References - [CHAOSS Website](https://chaoss.community) - [CHAOSS GitHub](https://github.com/chaoss) ## 📝 Summary - CHAOSS announces transition to elected governing board with 2-year terms - Elections will occur annually with half the seats up for election each year - Two dedicated seats reserved for Augur and GrimmoreLab software projects - Voting eligibility includes working group chairs, GitHub contributors, and community contributions file participants - Timeline and election officers still being determined, with first election coming soon ## 📖 Main Content CHAOSS (Community Health Analytics Open Source Software) has completed a major governance transition to an elected governing board structure. This change addresses long-standing community requests for democratic representation and term limits, replacing a system where board members served indefinitely and new members were appointed by existing board members. The new structure implements 2-year terms with staggered elections, ensuring continuity while enabling regular leadership refreshment. A key innovation is two dedicated seats for the project's primary software initiatives (Augur and GrimmoreLab), which will conduct their own internal elections for board representation. Voter eligibility encompasses multiple contribution pathways, recognizing that valuable community participation extends beyond code contributions to include meeting facilitation, event organization, and other documented activities through a community contributions file. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=0) — [H1] Community call opening and administrative updates - Key idea: Standard meeting logistics with important scheduling announcements - Evidence: "UN SG meeting tomorrow is cancelled" and next week's meeting cancellation #### ⏱️ [02:45](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=165) — [H2] Augur project withdraws from Google Summer of Code - Key idea: CHAOSS will not participate in GSoC this year through Augur - Evidence: "Augur decided not to participate" in GSoC #### ⏱️ [05:30](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=330) — [H1] Major governance announcement introduction - Key idea: Transition to elected governing board after months of planning - Evidence: "The chaos governing board has been working to move to an elected governing body" #### ⏱️ [07:15](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=435) — [H1] Elected board structure with 2-year terms - Key idea: Board members will serve defined terms instead of indefinite appointments - Evidence: "Governing board members will now serve 2-year terms" #### ⏱️ [08:00](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=480) — [H2] Dedicated seats for software projects - Key idea: Augur and GrimmoreLab get guaranteed representation through dedicated seats - Evidence: "Two dedicated seats for our two primary software projects" #### ⏱️ [08:45](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=525) — [H2] Staggered elections prevent full board turnover - Key idea: Half the seats are up for election each year for continuity - Evidence: "Half of them up for one year and half on the next year so that we don't have full board turnover" #### ⏱️ [09:30](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=570) — [H2] Candidacy requirements and endorsement process - Key idea: Six months active participation plus two endorsements required to run - Evidence: "Six months... actively participating... need to be endorsed by two eligible voters" #### ⏱️ [10:15](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=615) — [H1] Voter eligibility criteria spans multiple contribution types - Key idea: Voting rights extend beyond code to include diverse community contributions - Evidence: "Governing board, chairs for working groups, software projects, GitHub repository, community contributions file" #### ⏱️ [11:00](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=660) — [H2] Community contributions file for non-GitHub participation - Key idea: Mechanism to capture meeting facilitation, event planning, and other contributions - Evidence: "Facilitating meetings, working on chaoscon... loads of things that aren't necessarily considered in other areas" #### ⏱️ [11:45](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=705) — [H3] Anti-takeover protection through organization limits - Key idea: Maximum two seats per organization prevents corporate capture - Evidence: "No more than two seats can be held by employees of the same organization" #### ⏱️ [13:30](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=810) — [H1] Democratic voice addresses historical governance gaps - Key idea: Elections replace informal appointment system that lasted years without new members - Evidence: "Gives you a voice... we haven't brought any new people onto the board since 2023" #### ⏱️ [16:45](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=1005) — [H2] Charter updates live on website with GitHub election mechanics - Key idea: Official governance changes published with technical implementation in repositories - Evidence: "Changes to the charter on the website... election mechanics in GitHub" #### ⏱️ [19:00](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=1140) — [H2] Candidate platform process through GitHub PRs - Key idea: Structured submission process for candidate statements and qualifications - Evidence: "Submit as a PR... what are your contributions and why are you running" #### ⏱️ [21:15](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=1275) — [H3] Election officer requirements ensure impartiality - Key idea: Officers cannot be current board members or candidates - Evidence: "Not running for governing board... not part of current governing board" #### ⏱️ [23:30](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=1410) — [H3] Software project seats clarification - Key idea: Dedicated seats are guaranteed minimums, not limits on participation - Evidence: "Reserved seats but not limiting seats... as many people from Augur project as wanted to run" ## 📚 References - [CHAOSS Community Website](https://chaoss.community) - [CHAOSS GitHub Organization](https://github.com/chaoss) - [Community Contributions File](https://github.com/chaoss/community/blob/main/community-contributions.mmd) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - CHAOSS has restructured its governance from an informal appointment system to democratic elections with 2-year terms - The new system ensures regular leadership rotation while maintaining project continuity through staggered elections - Voting eligibility recognizes diverse contribution types beyond coding, creating inclusive pathways for community participation ## 📰 Newsletter CHAOSS Makes Historic Governance Leap to Democratic Elections The CHAOSS project has achieved a major milestone by transitioning to an elected governing board structure. After months of careful planning, the community now has direct input into project leadership through annual elections. Key improvements include 2-year board terms, dedicated seats for core software projects, and inclusive voter eligibility that recognizes meeting facilitation, event planning, and other non-code contributions. This addresses years of community feedback about representation and term limits. For WordPress community members interested in open source governance best practices, CHAOSS's transition offers valuable lessons in balancing continuity with democratic renewal while protecting against organizational capture. Resources: [CHAOSS Community](https://chaoss.community), [Governance Charter](https://chaoss.community/about/charter/), [GitHub Elections](https://github.com/chaoss/community) ## ✅ Action Items #### OSPO - Policy & Governance: Study CHAOSS election model for democratic governance templates - Community Engagement: Document voter eligibility frameworks that include non-code contributions - Strategic Alignment: Analyze staggered election benefits for project continuity #### Community - Maintainers: Review governance transition playbook for applying term limits - Contributors: Examine community contributions documentation as participation recognition model - Ecosystem: Assess dedicated seats concept for multi-project foundations #### WordPress - Core Program Team: Evaluate democratic input mechanisms for technical leadership - Community: Study inclusive voter eligibility for diverse contribution recognition - Meta: Consider governance transparency improvements based on CHAOSS charter approach ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Elected governance with term limits increases community engagement and leadership diversity - Staggered elections maintain institutional knowledge while enabling regular leadership renewal - Dedicated project seats balance technical expertise with democratic representation - Inclusive voter eligibility that recognizes non-code contributions improves participation equity ### 📊 Methodology - Survey CHAOSS community engagement metrics before and after election implementation - Compare leadership diversity statistics across governance transition periods - Analyze voter turnout and candidate diversity in first election cycle ### ❓ Questions - How do other foundation projects balance technical expertise requirements with democratic governance? - What mechanisms prevent election gaming while maintaining accessibility for legitimate contributors? - How can projects measure the effectiveness of governance democratization efforts? ### 🔮 Future Research - Long-term impact analysis of CHAOSS governance transition on project health metrics - Comparative study of elected vs appointed governance in similar open source projects - Development of governance transition toolkits for other community projects ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Democratic governance models require significant administrative infrastructure and clear eligibility criteria - Policy: Term limits and elections can address community representation concerns while requiring anti-capture protections - Education: Governance transitions need extensive community communication and documentation of new processes - Community: Inclusive contribution recognition beyond code can broaden participation in project leadership ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 12th Grade #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Structured agenda, clear governance charts implied - Improve: Governance structure diagrams, election timeline visuals, voter eligibility flowcharts #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Live community call format with Q&A discussion - Improve: Recorded governance explanation summaries, podcast-style deep dives #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear definitions of terms, analogies to prevent organizational takeovers - Improve: Governance glossary, comparison narratives with other projects #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: GitHub PR process for candidate submissions, community contributions file updating - Improve: Interactive governance simulation, step-by-step election participation guides #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Clear timelines, structured requirements, anti-gaming mechanisms - Improve: Decision trees for voter eligibility, governance flowcharts, risk mitigation matrices #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Community call discussion format, collaborative governance planning - Improve: Governance working groups, candidate forums, community feedback sessions #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Written charter documentation, self-serve GitHub processes - Improve: Individual reflection prompts on governance participation, self-assessment tools #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Organic community growth concepts, ecosystem thinking about project health - Improve: Governance evolution analogies, community ecosystem health metaphors ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear verbal communication in video format - Improve: Structured transcript with heading hierarchy, alt text for any governance charts #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard video controls available - Improve: Keyboard-accessible timeline navigation, focus indicators on linked resources #### Contrast and readability - Present: Standard video presentation - Improve: High-contrast governance documentation, readable text sizes in any charts #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: Scalable video player interface - Improve: Responsive governance documentation layout, mobile-friendly charter access #### Media and captions - Present: Video content with transcript provided - Improve: Professional captions, downloadable transcript formats #### Forms and interactions - Present: Standard community call participation - Improve: Accessible feedback forms for governance input, inclusive meeting participation tools ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Global open source community context - Improve: Multi-timezone election scheduling, international governance law considerations #### Inclusive language - Present: Clear, professional governance terminology - Improve: Plain language governance summaries, defined technical jargon #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Structured meeting format with clear agenda - Improve: Multiple participation channels, processing time for governance decisions #### Representation - Present: Diverse community voices in discussion - Improve: Intentional outreach to underrepresented contributors, multilingual election materials #### Psychological safety - Present: Professional, respectful governance discussion tone - Improve: Clear conflict resolution processes, safe feedback mechanisms ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Clear logical progression from community needs to governance solution - Inductive strength: Evidence from years of appointment system challenges supporting election benefits - Causal reasoning: Well-established connection between democratic processes and community representation - Analogical strength: Appropriate comparisons to other open source project governance models #### Fallacies - Appeal to tradition: Minor - some resistance to change from historical appointment system, addressed through community consultation - False dichotomy: Well avoided - multiple pathways for contribution recognition rather than code-only focus #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Professional, inclusive, and democratic with emphasis on community empowerment and transparency ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: No denial patterns detected - transparent acknowledgment of historical governance limitations - Attack: No attacking behavior - respectful discussion of past system challenges - Reverse victim/offender: Not applicable - no victim/offender dynamics present - Emotional cues and rhetoric: Positive, empowering language focused on community voice and democratic participation ## 🎯 Conclusion CHAOSS has successfully implemented a democratic governance transition that addresses long-standing community representation concerns while maintaining project stability. The staggered election system with inclusive voter eligibility and anti-capture protections provides a model for other open source projects considering governance modernization. The key innovation of recognizing diverse contribution types beyond code creates pathways for broader community participation in leadership. For WordPress and similar ecosystem projects, this demonstrates practical approaches to balancing technical expertise with democratic accountability. Next steps involve executing the first election cycle and measuring the impact on community engagement and leadership diversity, providing valuable data for other projects considering similar governance evolution. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix ### 📚 Literature Split Pad Purpose: Stage CEE units that become Literature notes. Split level: H3 ### [H1] Democratic governance transitions require inclusive eligibility frameworks > [!quote] [CHAOSS Weekly Community Call, Jan 20, 2026](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc) by [[CHAOSS]] via [[YouTube]]. Published 2026-01-20. Accessed 2026-01-20. > "Anyone who participates in the chaos community can vote in the election." Demonstrates expansion beyond code-only contribution recognition to meeting facilitation and event organization. [view highlight](https://youtu.be/eFP-ANg_vHc?t=615#H1) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_cha --- ## Full Transcript [00:01] Okay. Hi everybody. It is Tuesday, [00:04] January 20th. You're here for the weekly [00:07] community call for chaos. So, thank you [00:09] for showing up and showing your face, [00:12] showing your Zoom, whatever you want to [00:14] say. Um, share. [00:22] Last week, I shared my whole desktop, so [00:24] this time I didn't. If you want to add [00:28] your name to the agenda, that'd be [00:30] great. If you want to tell us a song [00:32] that's in your in your playlist, if [00:35] you're a repeater, great. If you're not, [00:37] also valid. Uh, I did not add mine. [00:42] Um, [00:50] there we go. I don't know why that [00:52] song's on my in my head. I like it. It's [00:55] my hype song. I was just don I was just [00:57] listening to Heroes maybe just [01:01] >> good classics [01:02] >> legendary song. So [01:06] >> I'm getting recommendations for new [01:08] songs on my reals slash Tik Tok and [01:13] that's interesting. That's it's new for [01:15] me. So yay. I feel cool. I feel relevant [01:19] that way. Whether or not that's the [01:21] truth is remains to be seen. But I feel [01:23] that way anyway. [01:27] Okay. Oh, one more thing to add to this. [01:33] Um, okay. So, we do have pretty big news [01:37] to talk about um today, but before we do [01:40] that, I wanted to just mention a few [01:41] things. Um, if you have not heard, if [01:44] you're not in the group or were planning [01:45] to attend the UN SG meeting tomorrow, [01:48] that is cancelled. People are getting [01:50] ready for Chaos Con and doing other [01:52] stuff. So, um, don't go. No one will be [01:54] there. The second thing is I wanted to [01:58] ask if what we think about cancelling [02:00] next week. I know a lot of us are going [02:02] to be out and traveling and this and [02:04] that. Do we do we want to or those who [02:06] are going to be here, do you want to [02:07] keep it keep it going? [02:10] >> Yeah, I'm okay with cancelling. That [02:12] seems completely fine with a lot of [02:14] people on the road. [02:16] >> Yeah, I'm seeing a couple thumbs up. [02:20] >> Yeah. Okay. Any thumbs downs? Anybody [02:23] who's particularly attached to this [02:26] meeting and doesn't want to see it [02:27] cancelled. [02:30] >> To come next week, [02:32] >> is that you Adena or are you thumbs [02:33] uping the cancellation? [02:36] >> Oh, the cancellation, please. [02:39] >> Okay. Okay. [02:42] >> I was going to volunteer you to run the [02:44] meeting. So, there we go. [02:50] >> You would be great. Okay. Yes, we [02:53] will cancel next week. All right. And I [02:58] guess if people do show up, they can [02:59] just meet with each other. That's fine. [03:01] Chat about whatever. It'll be a hangout [03:04] like the newcomer hangout. [03:06] Um Okay. And the third thing I wanted [03:08] that was quick. I love it. The third [03:10] thing I just wanted to mention is that [03:12] Augur decided not to [03:15] not participating. They decided not to [03:18] participate. So if you see folks who are [03:20] coming here and as far as I know nobody [03:22] else in chaos wants to bring that on. [03:26] >> I don't Yeah, I don't think so. At least [03:28] not that I've heard. That would be the [03:30] if if anybody was going to do it, it [03:31] would been augur as far as I know. [03:33] >> Yeah. Okay. [03:36] Okay. [03:37] >> Um so if if anybody sees anybody asking [03:39] about it, you can tell them uh with [03:41] Verve that we will not be participating. [03:43] I mean that's strong, but you can you [03:45] can confirm that we will not be [03:47] participating. So, [03:48] >> okay, [03:48] >> hopefully that clears up some some [03:51] stuff. [03:52] >> We could also say like if I don't know [03:54] if people really wonder, you know, the [03:56] LF is participating again and as our [04:00] foundation, [04:02] we could just say there are projects [04:04] that the LF will be sponsoring. I'm not [04:06] sure what they are, but [04:08] um Bill puts out a call every year for [04:14] LF projects that might want to [04:15] participate. And I think we've [04:17] participated through the LF a long time [04:20] ago. [04:21] >> Oh, [04:23] what what is the difference? [04:25] >> I don't know. [04:27] >> Okay, fair. That's valid. Wow. [04:32] Maybe the LF does a lot of the [04:33] administrative stuff that kind of bogs [04:36] down projects of, you know. [04:38] >> Yeah. [04:38] >> Well, I think too the application for GC [04:41] used to be very different. Um, and so I [04:44] think it was probably easier to [04:46] coordinate it through the Linux [04:47] Foundation before. [04:49] >> Gotcha. [04:51] >> When they only had eight projects and [04:53] not [04:54] >> Yeah. 8,000 [04:55] >> and when one of the Tox requirements [04:57] wasn't already being engaged in the [04:59] community. Um, [05:00] >> yeah. [05:01] >> Yeah. That's a that is a prime example [05:04] of uh motivation that is meant to do [05:08] good things but that actually kind of [05:10] has the opposite [05:12] effect. So yeah, it was a good good try. [05:16] But yeah, kind of doesn't always turn [05:19] out that way. Um okay, so I think that's [05:23] it. Uh before we move on to our big [05:25] news, does anybody have any questions [05:26] about any of that? [05:31] Is it would it have been necessary to [05:33] put up a social post because I know I [05:35] see a lot of people coming in and [05:37] specifically for GC. [05:40] I don't know like we have chaos con [05:41] going on so might just be a lot of [05:43] information for people. [05:46] >> It's a good question. What do we think? [05:53] >> Do we think that the GC folks look at [05:56] our socials before they before they [05:59] start to engage in the project? [06:01] I am unconvinced they look at anything. [06:09] >> I think it's better to focus on Chaos [06:12] right now with the socials. Chaos Con. I [06:15] mean, [06:20] >> yeah. Also, it's like we've never said [06:22] that we were I guess as I'm speaking we [06:24] as in from like the Augur perspective [06:26] that we have never we have not said that [06:28] we were doing G-S this year and we have [06:32] said in our like working group channel [06:34] that we are not um and so I don't really [06:38] think that people will look at [06:42] considering that we can barely get a lot [06:44] of those types to look at any type of [06:47] documentation or like stuff that I [06:50] wouldn't think that would they would be [06:52] looking at the social media. [06:56] >> But yes, to your point, we can post [06:58] something if we haven't already um [06:59] posted in general. We can post new [07:01] newcomers [07:03] um just to make people known or it known [07:06] to folks who are here if they're looking [07:08] for that. [07:09] >> I thought your post in general was quite [07:11] nice like [07:13] >> you know. [07:13] >> Oh, I did post that. Yeah. [07:15] >> Yeah. Like if you want just so you can [07:17] focus your efforts just so you're not [07:19] waiting [07:20] >> in hopes that we do it. [07:21] >> Yeah. [07:22] >> Well, I think you posted it in [07:23] newcomers. It might be good to also post [07:24] it in general. [07:26] >> It was somewhere. I saw it this morning. [07:27] >> It was somewhere. [07:29] >> Okay. [07:29] >> Yeah. [07:30] >> Well, wherever I didn't post, I will [07:32] post. [07:35] >> Might be good to pin it in newcomers as [07:37] well. [07:42] >> Awesome. Cool. [07:46] Okay, let's give space now for a big [07:50] conversation, the big news. I'm going to [07:52] turn this over to Dawn and I'm going to [07:54] stop sharing my screen so that she can [07:57] do that. [08:01] Yeah. So for the past past few months um [08:06] the chaos governing board has been [08:11] um basically has been working to move to [08:13] an elected governing body. So this is [08:16] something that was brought up a while [08:18] ago in one of the community meetings and [08:21] there were a lot of community members [08:22] who were um expressing support for us [08:25] moving to an elected governing board [08:28] with with terms. So, so this is [08:31] something we've been we've been working [08:32] on. Um, it's hard it's hard to change [08:35] the governance of a project the size of [08:36] chaos with a 15 person board. Um, but we [08:40] did it. So, we got the charter approved [08:42] by the governing board and the Linux [08:44] Foundation, which is one of the [08:45] requirements [08:47] and we have some some basic information [08:50] about the election. So, there's still a [08:52] lot to sort out. We need to um for [08:56] example, we need to get some people to [08:57] run the election. So, election officers [08:59] who will then set up a timeline for us. [09:02] So, I've been working on been working on [09:05] that. Um, but this is this is what it [09:07] looks like. So, um, governing board uh, [09:11] governing board members will now serve [09:13] 2-year terms. So, when someone is [09:16] elected to the governing board, they'll [09:18] serve for two years and then they can [09:21] they can choose to run for reelection as [09:22] many times as they want. There's no term [09:24] limits. So people can continue to run in [09:28] the in the elections. [09:31] We do have two dedicated seats. So we [09:34] have a dedicated seat for um for our two [09:38] primary software projects. So for Augur [09:40] and Grimar Lab. Um those seats will also [09:44] be determined by an election. So that's [09:46] specified in in the charter. Um [09:50] so so we have those those two seats as [09:52] well. and then the rest of the seats are [09:54] filled in in an election. So with half [09:57] of them up for one year and half on on [10:00] the next year so that we don't have full [10:02] board turnover at any point. Um if you [10:05] think maybe you might be interested in [10:08] being on the board, uh what it takes is, [10:11] you know, you have to be a community [10:13] member who's been actively participating [10:15] in some part of the project pretty [10:17] consistently for the past six months. [10:20] and then you'll need to be endorsed by [10:22] two um eligible voters to run in the [10:25] election. So this prevents things like [10:27] like spam and people kind of gaming the [10:29] system. [10:31] Um and then basically anyone who [10:34] participates in the chaos community can [10:36] vote in the election. So the eligible [10:38] voters are the existing governing board, [10:41] chairs for our working groups, uh the [10:43] people participating in our software [10:45] projects, anyone making a contribution [10:47] to the GitHub repository. There's a [10:49] table that shows you um all of those um [10:53] for the last for the last year and the [10:55] people um listed in the community [10:58] contributions.mmd [11:00] file. And so this is where be so we [11:03] haven't put together the timeline for [11:05] the election but if you've been [11:07] contributing to the chaos project and [11:09] your contributions have not been [11:11] captured in GitHub or elsewhere this is [11:14] where you should add your contribution [11:16] to become eligible to vote. So you can [11:18] see that there's you know facilitating [11:19] meetings [11:21] um you know uh working on [11:25] uh chaoscon for example there's there's [11:27] loads of loads of things that aren't [11:30] necessarily considered in some of the [11:32] other areas. So if you want to be [11:35] eligible to vote I would encourage you [11:36] to go ahead and use this community [11:39] contributions file. Um there's a there's [11:42] a process for that. There's a you open [11:43] an issue and there's a little little [11:46] process [11:48] Um, [11:51] and the other the other change, and it's [11:53] not something that we've had come up, or [11:55] at least hasn't in the past couple of [11:57] years, but um, no more than two seats [11:59] can be held by employees of the same [12:01] organization. So, this is this is what [12:03] prevents an organization from trying to, [12:05] you know, have a takeover of the of the [12:07] board. So, so we have a a process [12:11] process for that. [12:13] So at this point I will I'll just stop [12:15] talking and ask if there are any [12:17] questions. [12:20] Yes. Merry blessing. [12:24] >> Um yeah this is a very huge and good [12:26] update I would say and um thanks to you [12:29] and the governing board. Um I I I think [12:34] I wanted to just ask in simple terms [12:37] like for community members um what what [12:41] does this change mean for for the [12:44] project and for community or members [12:47] participating in the project um moving [12:50] forward? [12:52] Yeah, I would say that the the biggest [12:54] change for for community members is this [12:56] gives you a voice in the top level [12:59] leadership of the chaos project because [13:01] historically [13:03] we didn't have we didn't have term [13:04] limits. Some of the people have been on [13:06] the chaos board since uh 2017. So [13:10] they've been on the board for for a very [13:12] long very long time. And the way that we [13:15] bring new people into the board um now [13:19] before before this change was we would [13:22] you know if we if somebody stepped down [13:23] from the board we'd say you know well [13:26] you know who might be a good person to [13:27] replace them and as a governing board we [13:29] would just decide who replaced them. So [13:31] that really didn't give people who [13:33] outside of the governing board, people [13:35] from the from the rest of the community, [13:37] it didn't really give them an [13:38] opportunity to have input into who is [13:41] leading the project. And the other thing [13:44] is because because there are terms, this [13:46] means that we'll have an election every [13:48] single year and about half of the seats [13:52] will be up in the election. Now, like I [13:53] said, people can choose to run again, [13:55] people who are on the existing board, [13:57] but this because we haven't actually [14:00] brought any new people onto the board [14:02] since [14:04] uh [14:05] trying to remember since 2023. [14:09] So, it's been 2 and a half years since [14:12] we've had any new members on the board. [14:15] So, the other thing I would say is this [14:17] gives um newer community members a [14:19] regular yearly opportunity to run for a [14:23] seat on the chaos governing board. So, [14:26] that's that's where I see it impacting [14:27] the um the broader community. I don't [14:29] know if there's several board members on [14:31] the call. I don't know if anybody else [14:33] has any thoughts wants to add anything [14:35] to that. [14:36] >> No, that was good. [14:40] I I would just add that I think having [14:43] it in writing also just clarifies for [14:46] everybody what the process is and it [14:48] brings more transparency to the process. [14:50] So it it in my opinion it improves [14:53] inclusion, it improves diversity, it [14:55] improves transparency [14:58] um and I think that it also encourages [15:02] people to um document their [15:05] contributions which we have struggled [15:06] with in the past. So, I think that this [15:09] solves a lot of things. So, A+ A+ I'm a [15:13] big fan of this um decision. [15:17] >> Yeah. Plus one to everything Elizabeth [15:19] said. Um other questions. [15:22] >> Do we do we have this um on this website [15:25] already or just on the this GitHub um [15:28] repository? [15:30] >> Yeah. So, the way this works is we we do [15:32] have the changes to the charter which [15:34] are on the website itself. Um, and so it [15:37] has, you know, the last update date. It [15:39] has, you know, things about serving a [15:41] two-year term, election procedures and [15:43] methodology, uh, meth methodology, meth [15:46] methodology is the word I'm looking for. [15:49] Um, and a link to to GitHub. Um, so the [15:53] way we do this for other other projects [15:55] is that the actual election mechanics [15:59] and the software and there there's a [16:02] there's a whole bunch of technical stuff [16:04] that has to happen around running these [16:06] elections and that is a lot easier to [16:08] have all of that in GitHub. So the plan [16:10] is really not to put the mechanics on [16:12] the website um is just to leave them on [16:15] GitHub, but people can really easily [16:17] find them because it's linked right here [16:18] from from the charter. So they can find [16:21] the the page on on GitHub that has has [16:24] all of the details and it's all in this [16:26] elections folder. And so there'll be a [16:28] folder that's something like 2026 [16:32] um you know - GB or something and then [16:35] we'll have a folder which has all of the [16:38] documents that we need to run the [16:39] election. So it'll have the people who [16:41] are eligible to vote. It will have the [16:43] timelines. It will have all of the [16:45] candidates. Um, so having all of that in [16:48] one place in GitHub makes it a little [16:49] bit easier. [16:52] >> Great. Thanks. [16:54] >> Yeah, [16:56] other questions. [16:59] >> Um, I have, sorry, I have one more [17:00] question and you might not even know the [17:02] answer to this, which is also valid. Uh [17:04] so when people do run, will they be [17:07] given an opportunity to [17:10] um communicate their uh contributions to [17:13] the project or like um what's the word? [17:17] You know, run like kind of run. So will [17:19] they be able to interact with people and [17:21] answer questions about, you know, kind [17:23] of just how they feel about chaos, [17:24] whatever. I don't know what that would [17:26] even look like, but um just wondering [17:28] what that looks like. [17:30] >> Yeah, absolutely. So, so what we [17:32] generally would have is a candidate [17:34] would submit something they and they [17:36] submit it as a PR and GitHub and we can [17:39] decide what these fields are. So, we may [17:42] we may add some additional additional [17:44] things um and then the election software [17:47] that we use pulls this um content [17:49] directly from GitHub and displays it in [17:51] the election software. So the election [17:53] software will have the list of [17:55] candidates and it will pull the data [17:56] from from this. Um but we you know we'll [18:00] decide what we want these because [18:02] there's a there's a template that people [18:04] that we create that people can use. So [18:06] we'll decide what's in this what's in [18:08] this template and um yeah and then we do [18:13] want people to talk about what you know [18:16] their their contributions. [18:18] um [18:19] it'll probably be something something [18:21] similar similar to this. So, you know, [18:25] what are your what are your [18:26] contributions and why are you running? [18:28] Because I think those are the two things [18:29] that we generally care most about when [18:32] we're evaluating candidates to decide [18:34] who to vote for. At least from my [18:36] perspective, those are the two things I [18:37] look at. What What have they done and [18:39] what are they going to do when they get [18:41] elected? [18:44] >> Yeah, that's excellent. We could even do [18:46] like an issue template for it. The same, [18:48] you know, similar process for what we [18:50] have for that contributions doc or [18:52] something like that if if we're um going [18:55] to allow people who aren't familiar with [18:56] GitHub to to also be a part of it [18:59] because that might be a just a little [19:00] barrier for folks to not if they don't [19:02] know how to do that. Um but yeah, I love [19:05] this. That's that's perfect. That [19:06] answered my question. [19:07] >> Yeah, we'll have to talk about that [19:08] because the output this is actually the [19:10] output. This is what they put in. It's [19:12] actually YAML because that's what the [19:14] election software needs. [19:15] >> Gotcha. [19:16] >> So that may [19:18] I've I've used YAML to generate issue [19:22] templates, but I'm not sure if the issue [19:26] No, because it has to be a PR. It has to [19:27] be a PR. It can't be an issue. Um, [19:32] but we'll look at that. We'll look at [19:33] that. We'll look at ways maybe we can [19:35] make this easier for people. We can also [19:37] pair them up with people who can help [19:39] them with the PR. Yeah, that's fair. [19:42] >> So, I think we should look at look at [19:44] ways to make this more inclusive [19:47] >> and and Elizabeth has so so we still [19:50] need the election officers to be [19:52] ratified by by the board, but I know [19:54] Elizabeth has volunteered to be an [19:56] election officer. So, we'll um we'll [19:58] make sure that people are well [20:00] represented by the election officers for [20:02] the for the election. [20:06] And there is information about how what [20:09] what the criteria are for becoming an [20:11] election officer and how that works as [20:13] well in that doc. Right Don? Did I see [20:15] that? [20:16] >> Yes. [20:17] >> Election. Yeah. There you go. [20:18] >> Because there is there is quite a bit of [20:20] criteria for being an election officer. [20:21] So you can't be um [20:24] uh you have to be a community chaos [20:26] community member in good standing. Um [20:28] not running for steering. Um, not [20:31] currently part, sorry, not running. Man, [20:35] I missed one again. Steering in the [20:37] election. [20:37] >> I see it. [20:41] >> All right. I think I can fix the typo [20:42] without getting re reapproved by the [20:45] board. [20:45] >> That's okay. [20:46] >> Um, uh, yeah, not running for the [20:49] governing board in the election and [20:51] they're not part of the current [20:52] governing board. So that they are [20:53] completely completely impartial. [21:00] Will you clarify? [21:01] >> There will be one election officer who's [21:03] not uh who's not really currently [21:06] involved in the chaos community because [21:08] we need someone who with expertise in [21:10] the election software and the two people [21:13] within the community that have that [21:15] expertise are are not people who can be [21:18] an election officer. Um but I also have [21:22] a volunteer uh who's fantastic who has [21:24] offered to help with that. So [21:32] other questions, comments, thoughts? [21:34] >> Yeah. Can you um clarify the I think you [21:37] said there was two reserved seats for [21:40] the two software projects. Is that can [21:42] you clarify kind of the intent of that? [21:43] Is that supposed to be just like [21:46] like a minimum bar or like limiting the [21:48] number of people from the software [21:51] projects that can be board members? [21:53] >> No, it's not limiting. Um what it is is [21:57] let me let's see [22:00] I can find the the part in here. Um so [22:04] each KS software project will have a [22:06] dedicated seat on the governing board. [22:08] Um there there will be so this is this [22:10] is right here. Um, [22:14] so it's basically there's one seat [22:16] that's dedicated to Augur and one seat [22:18] that's dedicated to Grimmore Lab and [22:21] they the software project will define an [22:24] election process and select their [22:26] representative who will be on the on the [22:29] board. Um, and so that those are just [22:32] for those two seats and then anyone can [22:35] run in the general part of the election. [22:37] So it can be people who are part of [22:39] these these projects. Um it can be [22:42] people who [22:44] um you know do anything else. So these [22:45] are these are basically reserved seats [22:48] but they're not limiting seats. So you [22:50] know as many people from the Augur [22:52] project as wanted to run on the on the [22:54] governing board could run. [22:59] Did that answer your question Adrian? [23:01] >> Yep. I think so. [23:02] >> Okay cool. [23:05] Other [23:09] questions, comments. [23:20] Okay, cool. Thanks everybody. [23:23] >> Thank you, Don. I feel like [23:24] >> and we'll have more announcements when [23:26] we have things like like timelines and [23:28] um checking voter eligibility and [23:32] making sure the candidates have enough [23:33] time to [23:36] get involved. [23:40] >> Um yeah uh that will be helpful because [23:42] I just want to make sure that we are [23:44] communicating this a lot throughout the [23:47] project. So [23:48] >> yeah, excellent, excellent work. I know [23:52] that was a long time coming and a lot of [23:53] work. So thank you. [23:57] >> Okay. Um uh we have time now I think uh [24:01] actually let me pause. Folks who are on [24:03] chaos con committee how are we feeling? [24:05] Do we need to take some time today? I [24:08] don't see gayorg. [24:09] >> Yes. [24:11] >> Okay. [24:11] >> Or I I don't know if you I'm [24:16] assume that he was in here because I am [24:17] messaging him. [24:20] >> Oh [24:20] >> yeah. I was I was thinking we'll discuss [24:23] the schedule because um it's like um [24:25] we've had a lot of changes. So yeah. [24:28] Okay. So Adena um is that okay if we [24:32] push till the next meeting talk about [24:34] this? [24:35] >> Yes please. It's okay. No problem. [24:38] >> Thank you. Thank you very much. Um [24:40] because this is cool and exciting and I [24:42] want to make sure we have enough time to [24:43] give it the attention that it deserves. [24:45] So thank you so much. Um let me just put [24:48] a note here. Next meet. So it'll be in [24:51] two weeks. [24:56] Okay, perfect. [24:58] All right, I'm going to go ahead and [25:00] stop sharing and stop the recording. If [25:03] you're in the uh CASCON committee, [25:06] planning committee, uh stick around. If [25:09] you're not, you can you can have the [25:11] rest of your time back. [25:14] Stop.  📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/CHAOSS Weekly Community Call, Jan 20, 2026.md|CHAOSS Weekly Community Call, Jan 20, 2026 by YouTube]] ## Highlights - brought any new people onto the board since uh trying to remember since 2023. So, it's been 2 and a half years since we've had any new members on the board. So, the other thing I would say is this gives um newer community members a regular yearly opportunity to run for a seat on the chaos governing board. So, that's that's where I see it impacting the um the broader community. I don't know if there's several board members on ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kp9kmsq1j0ysrbjsyebvpzbm)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - >> Yeah. So, the way this works is we we do have the changes to the charter which are on the website itself. Um, and so it has, you know, the last update date. It has, you know, things about serving a two-year term, election procedures and methodology, uh, meth methodology, meth methodology is the word I'm looking for. Um, and a link to to GitHub. Um, so the way we do this for other other projects is that the actual election mechanics and the software and there there's a ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kp9kmstaz3v4dkvnmn4mr4ns)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - um you know - GB or something and then we'll have a folder which has all of the documents that we need to run the election. So it'll have the people who are eligible to vote. It will have the timelines. It will have all of the candidates. Um, so having all of that in one place in GitHub makes it a little bit easier. >> Great. Thanks. >> Yeah, other questions. >> Um, I have, sorry, I have one more ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kp9kmsvzfr0r32m2yp4pmdgk)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - >> Yeah, absolutely. So, so what we generally would have is a candidate would submit something they and they submit it as a PR and GitHub and we can decide what these fields are. So, we may we may add some additional additional things um and then the election software that we use pulls this um content directly from GitHub and displays it in the election software. So the election software will have the list of candidates and it will pull the data from from this. Um but we you know we'll ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kp9kmsxe9x93yaa0g3f3gqq9)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - >> Yep. I think so. >> Okay cool. Other questions, comments. Okay, cool. Thanks everybody. >> Thank you, Don. I feel like >> and we'll have more announcements when we have things like like timelines and um checking voter eligibility and ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kp9kmt1pmg54ht89xhjwnx08)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted