General Resolution: Sponsorship requirements for General Resolutions

Time Line

Proposal and amendment Saturday, 21st March, 2009 Wednesday, 25nd March, 2009
Discussion Period: Wednesday, 25nd March, 2009 Wednesday, 8th April, 2009

This vote has been withdrawn

Proposer

Joerg Jaspert [joerg@debian.org] [text of proposal]
Discussion originally started with [this message.]

Seconds

  1. Russ Allbery [rra@debian.org] [mail]
  2. Mark Hymers [mhy@debian.org] [mail]
  3. Kartik Mistry [kartik@debian.org] [mail]
  4. Andreas Metzler [ametzler@debian.org] [mail]
  5. Neil Williams [codehelp@debian.org] [mail]
  6. Bernd Zeimetz [bzed@debian.org] [mail]
  7. Gustavo Noronha [kov@debian.org] [mail]
  8. Stephen Gran [sgran@debian.org] [mail]
  9. Steve McIntyre [93sam@debian.org] [mail]

Text

Choice 1: Change seconders to 2Q [3:1]

General Resolutions are an important framework within the Debian Project. Yet, in a project the size of Debian, the current requirements to initiate one are too small.

Therefore the Debian project resolves that

  1. The constitution gets changed to not require K developers to sponsor a resolution, but floor(2Q). [see §4.2(1)]
  2. Delaying a decision of a Delegate or the DPL [§4.2(2.2)], as well as resolutions against a shortening of discussion/voting period or to overwrite a TC decision [§4.2(2.3)] requires floor(Q) developers to sponsor the resolution.
  3. the definition of K gets erased from the constitution. [§4.2(7)]

(Numbers in brackets are references to sections in the constitution).

Amendment Proposer A

Joerg Jaspert [joerg@debian.org] [text of proposal]

Amendment Seconds A

  1. Matthew Johnson [mjj29@debian.org] [mail]
  2. Bernd Zeimetz [bzed@debian.org] [mail]
  3. Patrick Schoenfeld [schoenfeld@debian.org] [mail]
  4. Alexander Reichle-Schmehl [tolimar@debian.org] [mail]
  5. Martín Ferrari [tincho@debian.org] [mail]
  6. Steve McIntyre [93sam@debian.org] [mail]
  7. Colin Tuckley [colint@debian.org] [mail]
  8. Russ Allbery [rra@debian.org] [mail]
  9. Peter Palfrader [weasel@debian.org] [mail]

Amendment Text A

Choice 2: Change seconders to Q [3:1]

General Resolutions are an important framework within the Debian Project. Yet, in a project the size of Debian, the current requirements to initiate one are too small.

Therefore the Debian project resolves that

  1. The constitution gets changed to not require K developers to sponsor a resolution, but floor(Q). [see §4.2(1)]
  2. Delaying a decision of a Delegate or the DPL [§4.2(2.2)], as well as resolutions against a shortening of discussion/voting period or to overwrite a TC decision [§4.2(2.3)] requires floor(Q) developers to sponsor the resolution.
  3. the definition of K gets erased from the constitution. [§4.2(7)]

(Numbers in brackets are references to sections in the constitution).

Amendment Proposer B

Lucas Nussbaum [lucas@debian.org] [text original proposal] [text corrected proposal]

Amendment Seconds B

  1. Frans Pop [fjp@debian.org] [mail]
  2. Raphaël Hertzog [hertzog@debian.org] [mail]
  3. Julien Blache [jblache@debian.org] [mail]
  4. Wouter Verhelst [wouter@debian.org] [mail]
  5. Matthew Vernon [matthew@debian.org] [mail]
  6. Anthony Towns [ajt@debian.org] [mail]
  7. Ian Jackson [awj@debian.org] [mail]
  8. Bill Allombert [ballombe@debian.org] [mail]
  9. Anibal Monsalve Salazar [anibal@debian.org] [mail]
  10. Charles Plessy [plessy@debian.org] [mail]
  11. Steve Langasek [vorlon@debian.org] [mail]
  12. Robert Millan [rmh@debian.org] [mail]

Amendment Text B

Choice 3: Keep seconders as is [1:1]

General Resolutions are an important framework within the Debian Project. While over the years, some problems have arisen during the discussion and/or voting of some resolutions, there is no evidence that changing the number of sponsors (seconds) for GR proposals or amendments will help solve those problems. Instead, by making it harder to propose general resolutions or amendments, it might make it harder to improve imperfect resolutions, or to add valuable options to a ballot.

Therefore the Debian project reaffirms the current requirements for the sponsoring (seconding) of GR proposals or amendments, and for overruling of delegates.

Debian Project Secretary