The 2025 GOSH Community Council Election has ended, and you can read more about the elected council members here.
2025 Election Schedule
The 2024-2025 GOSH Community Council has drafted this election cycle timeline for 2025:
- 6 June – Open the 2025 election cycle & share the 2025 Governance Plan on the GOSH Forum
- 6 June – Open independent observer nominations
- 20 June – Close independent observer nominations
- 20 June – Complete set-up of election infrastructure (platform, etc.)
- 20 June – Appoint an independent observer
- 20 June – Open voter registration
- 25 June – Open nominations
- 7 July – Close nominations, open consideration of candidates
- 14 – 18 July – Community meetings for candidates
- 21 July – Voter registration closes
- 24 July – Voting starts for the Community Council
- 5 August 23:59 AoE – Voting closes
- 8 August 2025-2026 Community Council election results announced
- 1 September new Community Council members take the seats
This timeline will be revisited and updated as each milestone is reached in order to make sure the election is executed in an inclusive, effective, and successful fashion. The timezone for this timeline is Anywhere on Earth (AoE).
How do I register to vote?
Register through July 21, 2025. Those who meet the eligibility criteria will receive an invitation to vote once the election begins. If there’s an issue confirming eligibility, we’ll follow up by email.
How do I vote?
Voting will take place on the BetterVoting platform (previously STAR), which uses a combination of score voting to pick two highest-scoring candidates and a “runoff” in which the finalist who is preferred on more ballots wins. This platform uses the STAR (“Score Then Automatic Runoff”) voting methodology, which you can read more about here.
Voting starts on 24 July and closes on 5 August.
What is the Community Council?
The Community Council oversees or delegates all subsequent tasks, questions, and issues related to governance of the GOSH community.
Those elected to the Community Council will be referred to as Community Council Members. Per the 2025 Governance Plan, Community Council membership will persist for 2-year terms.
Vacancies
6 seats are subject to this election.
Nominations
Individuals can nominate others or self-nominate for inclusion in the candidate pool. Nominations will open on 25 June and close on 7 July.
Administration
Independent Observer: TBD
Election Secretary: Jamaica Jones, GOSH Community Coordinator.