Having Your Say in ARIN Elections [Archived]

By Editor

__“People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote – a very different thing.” - Walter H. Judd

These words don’t just apply to national politics: they also apply to the upcoming ARIN elections. It’s ARIN members who vote, who shape the Board and Advisory Council, and in turn the policies that govern how ARIN distributes Internet number resources. It’s member participation in things like elections that continue to justify and strengthen the Regional Internet Registry system. Now is the time to join the ranks of this commendable group that make themselves heard.

ARIN has two main elected bodies: the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Council.

• The Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for the business affairs and financial health of ARIN. There are seven Board members: six elected by the membership, plus the President of ARIN.

• The Advisory Council advises the Board on policy matters, forwarding community-driven, consensus-based proposals to the Board for ratification. There are fifteen Advisory Council members.

Elections are coming up fast, and now is the time to make sure your organization is eligible to vote. If your organization is an ARIN member, you should have what we call a Designated Member Representative on file with us: that’s a person (not a role account) at your company that is your appointed representative in this process. You have until 21 September to update your information: just send us an e-mail if you’re not sure about your status and we’ll be happy to help. We’ve even set up a FAQ on voting eligibility if you need more information.

Not a member of ARIN? We also elect people to the Number Resource Organization’s Number Council (NRO NC). The Number Council advises the NRO’s Executive Council on proposed global Internet number resource allocation policies. There are three NRO NC members from the ARIN region (and 12 other members from elsewhere). Anyone in the ARIN community can participate in the NRO NC election.

We’ll announce the candidates on 31 August. Never heard of these people? Each one will have a biography posted online, including contact information if you have specific questions you’d like them to answer. There’s also a place where you can read (or submit) statements of support for candidates. Finally, if you come to the ARIN XXVI meeting in Atlanta, or listen in to the Members Meeting remotely, each candidate has a chance to address the community, either in person or by submitting a video.

The voting period is from 6-16 October, and there’s a wealth of information about the election process in the Election Headquarters .

Let your voice to be heard. Vote in the ARIN elections this year.