[registrars] Present ballot to permit voting periods of less than seven days.

["Robert F. Connelly" <rconnell@psi-japan.com>]

Dear Colleagues:

We presently have before us a ballot item which would permit someone to 
decide that the voting period could be shorter than seven days.  IMO, the 
conditions are too vague, "depending upon circumstances..."  Here is the 
provision:

Issue #1: (Place an X in the appropriate [ ] )
Amend the by-laws to call for a standard seven (7) day voting period on all
substantive issues. However, this default time period can be amended
depending upon the circumstances given proper/adequate notice.

end quote:

I am greatly concerned that the seven day voting period is, in itself, too 
short.

The "Membership" of the Registrar Constituency consists of ICANN Accredited 
Registrars.  Thus, the "Member" is a corporate body.  However, those 
corporate bodies participate by way of having officers and/or employees 
attend meetings and participate in Email threads.  Many persons may 
participate but only one Member may vote.  In the case of balloting, a 
*designated* voting officer or employee expresses the opinion of the 
"Member".  Only that designated person receives the ballot.

The problem is that, while "Members" generally operate seven days per week, 
the designated voter for the Member may have vacations, trips, etc. which 
could deprive him or her of the opportunity to cast a vote expressing the 
will of the Member on an issue.

I recommend that all persons on the <registrars@dnso.org> list be notified 
of items which are going to be balloted.  In the absence of a voting 
member, that notification would give other staff of a Member firm  the 
opportunity to advise the Secretariat that there is an issue to resolve and 
to request that another person be permitted to vote on the issue.

The way the present ballot issue is worded, we are faced with answering the 
prejudicial question "Have you stopped beating your wife."

Regards, BobC

P.S.  In the case of the recent four day voting period, 7 to 11 February, 
that was 8 to 12 in Japan.  The 11th was a national holiday and the 12th 
was a Saturday, leaving only two working days for posting a 
response.  Clearly that was not a good way to test the will of the 
Constituency.  The shorter the voting period, the more chance it will 
"collide" with a holiday in some Member's country.  We have holiday periods 
of up to seven days at New Years and from 29 April to 5 May every year in 
Japan.