Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2007-07-09/Board elections

This week, the Signpost covers the closing of this year's Board elections.

The Wikimedia Board Elections closed this Saturday, with 4,713 unique votes from across numerous Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The results of the elections are expected to be released on Sunday, 15 July.

The Election Committee has reviewed many of the votes, looking for possible voter fraud. After this is completed, Software in the Public Interest will tally the votes, and forward the results to the Election Committee. The top three of the fifteen candidates standing will receive two-year terms on the Board. Before the winning candidates officially take their positions, the Board of Trustees must officially certify the elections in order for their results to be valid, a move that is likely to be merely a formality.

Last week, a minor controversy erupted over mailings sent by Gregory Maxwell, urging English Wikipedians and Wikimedia Commons users to vote in the elections. The mailing, which was sent to active Wikipedians who had not yet voted in the elections, was viewed by some as helpful in reminding users to cast their vote. Others viewed the notice as an abuse of the e-mail system, and unfairly benefited the English community (though Gmaxwell offered to help users send out notices in other languages, no users had stepped forward by the time the elections closed). Jimbo Wales suggested that in future elections, the Wikimedia Foundation could personally send e-mails to users who are eligible to vote.

Results from the election are expected on Sunday, barring any complications.

Next week: Results of the Board Election.