Decision Making
SGCI operates as a consensus-first community. Formal votes are used only when consensus cannot be reached. This page describes how decisions are made, escalated, and documented.
Consensus
Most decisions within SGCI are made through informal consensus among the relevant participants. Consensus means that no participant with standing has raised a sustained objection after reasonable discussion. Silence after adequate notice is considered assent.
Consensus-based decisions are recorded in the appropriate public record (meeting minutes, issue tracker, or mailing list).
Formal Voting
When consensus cannot be reached, a formal vote is held. For some topics formal votes are always required:
- Amendments to the governance charter.
- Election or removal of TAB or Steering Board members.
- Changes to foundational compliance rules.
- Any matter where a TAB or Steering Board member requests a formal vote and the chair accepts the motion.
Voting Rules
| Rule | TAB | Steering Board |
|---|---|---|
| Quorum | >50% of members present or voting electronically | >50% of members present or voting electronically |
| Standard decisions | Simple majority of those present, given quorum | Simple majority of those present, given quorum |
| Charter amendments | — | Two-thirds majority of all members |
| Overriding a TAB recommendation | — | Two-thirds majority of all members |
| Removing a member | Simple majority of remaining members | Two-thirds majority of remaining members |
Voting Process
- A topic for voting is tabled by any member of the relevant body, with at least one week's notice to all members.
- The notice states the motion, the rationale, and the voting period.
- Voting occurs over a period of at least one working week via an agreed-upon medium (e.g., email, issue tracker, or secure ballot).
- Each member has one vote. Proxy voting is not permitted.
- Results are published within one week after the voting period closes.
When a Secure Ballot Is Required
Most votes are conducted openly via email or the issue tracker, where each member's vote is visible to the rest of the body. A secure ballot (a confidential vote tallied by a neutral party or trusted tooling, with individual votes not disclosed) is required when any of the following applies:
- Election or removal of TAB or Steering Board members. Personnel decisions are conducted by secret ballot to protect candidates and voters from undue influence.
- Matters affecting an individual Member's standing, such as disciplinary action or conflict-of-interest determinations directed at a specific person.
- Any vote where a participant could face retaliation from an employer, sponsor, or other Member based on how they voted, and at least one eligible voter requests confidentiality before the voting period opens.
- At the request of the chair of the relevant body, when the chair judges that an open vote would compromise the integrity of the outcome.
For all other matters, open voting is the default so that the public record reflects how each member voted.
Proposal Process
Any community member may propose changes to SGCI policies, compliance rules, or governance. Proposals follow this process:
- Draft — The proposer creates a written proposal describing the change, its rationale, and its expected impact. Proposals are submitted as a pull request or issue in the SGCI governance repository.
- Discussion — The proposal is open for community discussion for at least two weeks. The TAB and/or Steering Board may request clarifications or modifications.
- Recommendation — For technical matters, the TAB issues a recommendation. For policy matters, the Steering Board deliberates directly.
- Decision — The appropriate body decides by consensus or, if necessary, by formal vote.
- Publication — The decision and its rationale are published through public channels and in the initial issue or pull request.
Appeal Process
Decisions may be appealed by any community member (a contributor who has demonstrated consistent, sustained participation over time - membership criteria are defined by the Steering Board) who is directly affected:
- First appeal — Address the appeal to the body that made the decision (TAB or Steering Board). The appeal must specify the decision being appealed, the basis for the appeal, and the proposed alternative. The body responds in writing within two weeks.
- Escalation — If the first appeal is denied and the matter is extraordinary, it may be escalated to the Steering Board (for TAB decisions) or to a public community vote (for Steering Board decisions) in exceptional cases and subject to Steering Board approval. Escalation requires support from at least three community members.
Conflict of Interest
Members of the TAB and Steering Board must disclose conflicts of interest before participating in discussions or votes where their employer, client, or personal interest could influence the outcome. A conflicted member may participate in discussion but must abstain from voting on the affected matter. Disclosures are recorded in meeting minutes.
Documentation
All governance decisions — whether made by consensus or formal vote — are documented in a publicly accessible record. This includes:
- The decision itself.
- The rationale.
- Dissenting positions, if any.
- The date and the body that made the decision.