[Tech-board-discuss] [Ksummit-discuss] Results: Linux Foundation Technical Board Election 2018

[Roland Dreier]

On Wed, Nov 14, 2018 at 9:28 AM Chris Mason <clm at fb.com> wrote:
> On 14 Nov 2018, at 2:32, Jani Nikula wrote:
> > To play the devil's advocate, the TAB election process is democratic
> > and
> > open to anyone travelling to the conference and handing out a few
> > hundred dollars to the Linux Foundation. It's only some approximation
> > of
> > democratic and open, and we should not be complacent about that.
>
> I do understand your larger point, but it's important to remember the
> Linux Foundation maintains a travel fund to help bring community members
> to the conferences.

That is of course a positive thing but requiring travel to a
conference to vote still imposes a substantial barrier.  There are
many reasons that someone may not be able to or simply not want to
undertake a multi-day trip to cast a vote, beyond financial barriers.

One might argue that requiring travel limits voting to those with
sufficient "skin in the game", but the burden of travel does not fall
evenly - for example the journey to Edinburgh is much easier for a
Scot than someone from New Zealand.  I don't think anyone would argue
that we prefer to have more Scots and fewer Kiwis voting on the TAB.

 - R.