Overview
According to a resolution passed by the ROS 2 TSC, we intended to add three elected community representatives as members of the ROS 2 TSC in 2021. These community representatives will be granted the full rights and privileges of a traditional ROS 2 TSC representative, including voting rights on all ROS 2 TSC resolutions.
Election Process
The number of community representatives on the TSC is predicated on the number of non-community TSC members, with a lower bound of no less than 3 or 10% of the traditional TSC members, whichever is greater. With 20 members currently in the TSC, this means that the 2021 election will be for three community representatives. Furthermore, according to the charter amendment on the matter, in the first year of the community representative process, one of the representatives will serve a one off, single year, term. For clarity we will call this representative the “short term” community representative.
The election process is described in detail in the ROS 2 charter. To summarize the process, any ROS community member can nominate themselves to be a community representative. These self nominations mu st be submitted via this Google form. Nominees should include a short (< 500 word) description of themselves in markdown format along with the relevant contact information by no later than October 1st, 2021. The description can and should include links to relevant ROS projects, writings, research, and community discussions. Once the nomination process has closed Open Robotics will create a single election information landing page and cross post it to ROS Discourse for community discussion. At the start of ROSWorld, meaning the start of the workshop day, a second thread will be created on ROS Discourse that includes both the relevant information along with a link to the electronic ballot (CIVS) that will be open until noon on the last day of ROSWorld. At the end of the first full day of ROSWorld each community representative will be given a two minute lighting talk slot (recorded) to campaign. These campaign videos may be broadcast during the program or we may share a link to them (we’re presently working out the schedule and details).The final results will be tallied using the Condorcet method and announced at the end of ROSWorld. The short term community representative will be selected as the third most popular candidate. Newly elected community representatives will start their term in January of 2022.
Key Dates and Links
| Event | Date | Relevant Link |
|---|---|---|
| Nominations Open | 9/23/2021 | |
| Nominations Closed | 10/1/2021 | |
| Nominations Posted | 10/4/2021 | |
| Candidates Submit Lightning Talks | 10/14/2021 | |
| Voting Opens | 10/19/2021 (9am CST) | |
| Candidate Lighting Talks | 10/20/2021 | |
| Election Closes / Results Announced | 10/21/2021 | |
| Community Representatives Take Office | 1/1/2022 |
Additional Considerations
The TSC Community rep process is new this year and it was initially created with the belief that we would have an in-person ROSCon in 2021. Unfortunately we had to pivot to a remote event again, and as such we’re going to adapt the election to ROSWorld. We really hope we can have the same level of community involvement as the in person event. The official dates have been modified from the TSC charter to reflect the change in schedule and event.
We really want to encourage a diverse pool of candidates for the election and as such we’re encouraging anyone who is interested to apply, this includes academics, freelancers, and students. If you would like to run but are worried about your experience, don’t worry, e-mail Kat (kat@openrobotics.org) and we can help to find you a suitable mentor.