There's no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter.
(Obama)

We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.
(Thomas Jefferson)

The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
(Lincoln)

As these quotes highlight that elections matter, your participation matters. Both as a potential candidate and as someone with a vote. And as it happens, the Joomla community has three open board positions that need to be filled. So bring out your red pencil, it’s election time in the Joomniverse!

What roles can I vote for?

The board positions open for this election are President, Secretary and Production Department Coordinator.

What do these people do anyway? And what is this board you’re talking about?

The Board of Directors of Open Source Matters, Inc. (the organisation behind Joomla) provides organisational, legal and financial support to the Joomla Project. In other words: these are the people who facilitate Joomla.

President

You’re probably thinking the president is chief of chiefs, right?
Yes and no. The president is the one representing us, the Joomla community. Our ideal president leads, inspires, co-ordinates and drives Joomla towards its current and future goals. Apart from that, the president has a number of fiscal and legal responsibilities. So is the president the boss? Not necessarily. Sometimes, maybe, but it’s the department coordinators who set the goals and the strategies, and the board as a whole that approves them. 

Secretary

This is the person who knows everything. The secretary writes minutes and reports, organises the elections, knows all about the legal stuff, has permission to sign non-financial documents, helps the board with everything necessary for taking the right decisions, knows what’s going on in the community and… you name it, and the secretary is probably responsible for it.

Production DC

In charge of the Production department (basically: all the people responsible for the code and everything around it, such as the Security Strike Team, Bug Squad, Documentation, Accessibility and Maintenance, to name just a few of the many teams). The DC brings all these people together, organises meetings, sets goals and budgets, and makes sure every team can function at its best.

I have ideas to push Joomla forward! Can I be part of leadership?

Yes! If you think you’re capable of filling one of these positions, go for it! The first thing you should do is write a manifesto. In the manifesto you tell us who you are, why we should all vote for you, and of course what you want to do if you’re elected. If you want to participate in the upcoming election, you need to be fast: the deadline for submission is January 31.

If you have leadership ambitions but don’t consider yourself a possible board member, run for Team Leader of the team(s) you’re in. The term for Team Leaders is a year, so each year a new leader can be elected. 

Who can vote?

For the president/secretary, every member of every official Joomla Team can vote.

For the Production DC, you can vote if you’re a member of an official team in the Production Department.

Why should I vote?

As outlined above, many people think that voting, participation is a good thing, a vital duty. It's good for the community you are in if you participate, so that the community reflects the feelings of its members. If you don't vote, the people who are elected have no chance to be aligned with your thoughts - apart from by chance. If you do not vote you lose agency, and disagreement or dissension is harder to justify if you did not take part in the process.

How does voting work?

Ballots are sent through an anonymous ballot system called aDoodle, to ensure the secrecy of the vote. Everyone with voting rights gets an email with a link to the ballots. As soon as these emails are sent, OSM Secretary Luca Marzo usually announces it in Mattermost as well (so people actually go check their email). 

Open the email, click the link, choose your candidate and that’s it. 

It really is a minute of your time well spent and could help to shape the future of Joomla!

Remember:

Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world. 
(Roald Dahl)

Call for manifestos: https://community.joomla.org/blogs/leadership/call-for-manifestos-group2-2023.html

Nominee announcement: https://community.joomla.org/blogs/leadership/joomla-group-2-elections-nominee-announcement-2023.html