User:Jhize/policy

Project infobox |Project name = Open Voting Network Initiative  |logo = |portal = TBD |desc = Draft Policy related to the Federated General Assembly, - OWS Internet Working Group |geoloc = |wg = Open Voting Network Initiative Working Group |pperson = Michael Allan, Jon Huizer |dateformed = |website = |ical = |forum = |ml = |bug = |pmgmt = |source = |status = |product = |related = |categories =

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Statement of Purpose

It is the objective of this draft policy to facilitate the movement-wide adoption of an open-source, counter-monopolistic, voting and collaboration framework known as the Federated General Assembly. This distributed software package is intended to:

• Encourage and support participation and innovation from all members of the Occupation community, recognizing the freedom of any member of the Open Voting Network to choose a provider, toolset and practices based on personal needs and preferences;
• Facilitate large-scale buy-in for a cooperative, socially conscious network focused on operations in support of stated principles, not profit;
• Enable the experimentation with and contribute to the development of a wide variety of different consensus making practices without splitting the movement into competing technical camps;
• Provide a mechanism that unites entities under a single shared platform;
• Ensure and promote open, transparent and community-based collaboration for guiding the evolution of the OVN initiative

Policy Statement

In full accordance with OWS' Principles of Solidarity; a proposal is hereby presented to further articulate positions and activities that reinforce our principles of engaging in direct and participatory democracy, empowering one another against all forms of oppression; defending the sanctity of individual privacy; reaffirming the belief that education is a human right; and endeavoring to practice and support a wide application of open source technologies. Additionally, we offer a framework in which strategic methodology is introduced on the onset in all such policy actions in the future.

This policy sets forth an official non-endorsement of monopolistic, single-entity providers of primary voting and consensus making services and instead pledges endorsement for collaborative, counter-monopolistic entities that utilize an open network, based on cross-provider vote mirroring from which:

1. no person is excluded from participating in the development of alternative technologies and methodologies;
2. no toolset, platform or practice is excluded; and
3. each person may choose a provider, toolset and practices based on personal needs

Strategy

1. Deploy an open, distributed network (FGA)that combines free-range drafting, free range voting, and a solid integration of social media channels; including, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
2. Utilize a decentralized system where QSPs serve as nodes in the network and represent a 1:1 relationship with a specific area (IE. Occupy Boston). For the purposes of this description, an area is an administrative space or context within which a set of decision systems are deployed. Essentially, the network transforms existing network entities into communities that have full access to primary voting and consensus making services
3. Invite qualified service providers to participate in alpha trials and the development of its tools and practices.
4. The criteria used for qualification of service providers includes;
   1. a formal agreement to mirror the published votes of other qualified service providers.
   2. publication of votes in machine readable form
5. Extend the on-the-ground consensus model across a large distributed group by augmenting it with online, open source applications and utilities

Tactical Action Plans

1. Collaborative policy draft
   1. Collect related project information
   2. Analyze and translate from tech speak
   3. Report (update wiki)
2. Achieve consensus from GA for general adoption
   1. GA Proposal instructions
3. Develop OVN Agreement
   1. Develop agreement form/application
4. Distribute on all available media channels
   1. Identify Occupy Sites Occupation Directory
   2. Create cross-network campaign
      1. Create hashtag
      2. Facebook page
      3. Google+ page
5. Achieve network buy-in
   1. Direct engagement recruiting
   2. "Seat" local GA admins to State GA admin positions
   3. Promote the Federated General Assembly software solution
6. Participating entities "pilot" the Federated General Assembly

Applicability and Scope

1. The OVN is not concerned with consensus making processes of the General Assembly (GA) or Spokes Council. It is concerned only with primary voting. The purpose of primary voting is to facilitate and express consensus on:
   1. proposals prior to submission to the GA, Spokes Council or City Council;
   2. delegates or candidates prior to election to a convention, assembly or office.
2. The OVN is not concerned with private voting, as in decisions by secret ballot. It is concerned only with public voting, as in building consensus on the content of a document prior to ratification.

Major Obstacles/Implementation Challenges

(Reserved for design team)

Definitions

Area 

- an administrative space or context within which a set of decision systems are deployed

Assent 

- an expression of agreement

Candidate 

- an object of assent; one who receives a vote

Communicative action 

- a type of social action that is coordinated by discussion aimed at mutual understanding or agreement

Communicative assent 

- an expression of agreement that arises from discussion

Delegate 

- a subject and object of assent; one who is both a candidate and a voter, who both receives and casts votes

Delegate cascade 

- a voting mechanism in which received votes are carried along with cast votes

Issue 

- the action that occurs in society as a direct consequence of a poll

Issue type 

- the category of an issue

Mass assent 

- assent that derives from a voting process in which there are relatively few candidates and little or no communication between candidates and voters

Norm 

- a standard or pattern of social behavior; especially one that may be formalized, such as a law, plan or policy

Open 

- a descriptor signifying the lack of preference of a specific toolset, platform, practice, or technology

Poll 

- a collection of votes for measuring the consensus or dissensus of voters with regard to a group of rival candidates

Primary 

- occurring prior to a decision by an assembly or other authority, or prior to an election.

Vote 

- a formal unit of assent

Voter 

- a subject of assent; one who votes for a candidate

Voting 

- the expression of agreement or disagreement, consensus or dissensus.

Qualified Service Provider (QSP) 

- any online entity that adopts this policy and engages in open and transparent primary voting and consensus activities

Mirroring 

- a sufficient measure in itself to preclude the formation of a monopoly in the provision of online voting services for participatory democracy. A vote mirror can unilaterally interconnect the voters of multiple service sites into a single "inter-network" of participation and thus reduce the network effects that might contribute to the dominance of a single provider. Social media in general is prone to monopolies, but their formation is not inevitable. By posing an early challenge, vote mirroring can level the playing field and preclude a monopoly in voting media.

References, Footnotes, and Exhibits

1. Michael Allan 2007-2009, 2011; The Structure of Power and the Composition of Norms by Communicative Assent
2. Social peer to peer processes
3. Peer production
4. Michael Allen 2011; A Structural fault in society owing to a design flaw in the electoral system
5. This RFC came out of discussions with Stephen Coffman, Dec. 6/7.
6. Service providers active in the OWS Tech lists include:
   1. Federated General Assembly(Sam Boyer)
   2. Open Assembly(Frank Grove)
   3. Votorola (Michael Allan),
   4. Occupy National General Assembly(Geno Burch and Jon Huizer).Many other providers exist and they cover a wide range of technologies
7. Here's another list(not really a coalition, as maybe implied)
8. For a sketch of how primary voting relates to the GA/Spokes, see this.