The Nominating Committee Process: Open Disclosure of Willing Nominees
RFC 5680

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Network Working Group                                    S. Dawkins, Ed.
Request for Comments: 5680                                  Huawei (USA)
BCP: 10                                                     October 2009
Updates: 3777
Category: Best Current Practice

 The Nominating Committee Process: Open Disclosure of Willing Nominees

Abstract

   This document updates RFC 3777, Section 3, Bullet 6 to allow a
   Nominating and Recall Committee to disclose the list of nominees who
   are willing to be considered to serve in positions the committee is
   responsible for filling.

Status of This Memo

   This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the
   Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2009 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the BSD License.

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RFC 5680                     NomCom Issues                  October 2009

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................2
   2. Current Rules on Confidentiality ................................2
   3. Problems with Existing Rules ....................................3
   4. Asking the Entire Community for Feedback ........................4
   5. Disclosing a Nominee List .......................................4
   6. Updated Text from RFC 3777 ......................................5
   7. Security Considerations .........................................6
   8. Acknowledgements ................................................6
   9. Normative References ............................................6
   Appendix A.  Concerns about Open Nominee Lists .....................6

1.  Introduction

   The Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG), the Internet
   Architecture Board (IAB), and at-large IETF representatives to the
   IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) are selected by a
   "Nominating and Recall Committee" (universally abbreviated as
   "NomCom").  [RFC3777] defines how the NomCom is selected, and the
   processes it follows as it selects candidates for these positions.

   The NomCom is responsible for filling positions across the breadth of
   the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).  The NomCom needs
   relevant information about nominees being considered for these
   positions, but current [RFC3777] requirements for confidentiality
   limit the ability of the NomCom to solicit that information.  The
   process change described in this document allows the NomCom to openly
   solicit information about nominees who are willing to be considered.

2.  Current Rules on Confidentiality

   [RFC3777] is the latest in a series of revisions to the NomCom
   process, and it describes the confidential nature of NomCom
   deliberations in Section 3, "General", bullet 6, which states:

      All deliberations and supporting information that relates to
      specific nominees, candidates, and confirmed candidates are
      confidential.

      The nominating committee and confirming body members will be
      exposed to confidential information as a result of their
      deliberations, their interactions with those they consult, and
      from those who provide requested supporting information.  All
      members and all other participants are expected to handle this
      information in a manner consistent with its sensitivity.

Dawkins                  Best Current Practice                  [Page 2]
RFC 5680                     NomCom Issues                  October 2009

      It is consistent with this rule for current nominating committee
      members who have served on prior nominating committees to advise
      the current committee on deliberations and results of the prior
      committee, as necessary and appropriate.

3.  Problems with Existing Rules

   There are two problems with existing practice -- nominee lists aren't
   as confidential as [RFC3777] would lead the reader to believe, but
   they aren't visible to the entire IETF community, either.

   Since at least 1996, most NomComs have sent out a "short list" of
   nominees under consideration to a variety of audiences.  The target
   audiences differ from year to year, but have included members of
   specific leadership bodies, working group chairs in a specific area