Academics: delegate participation, action needed by Friday June 19

Hi Academics members,

Following our delegate participation policy, we reviewed voting over the last 12 months. To hold delegate status, a delegate must vote in at least 25% of the community's eligible polls in a rolling year.

How we got here: when the communities were first set up, delegate roles were filled automatically during the bootstrap, on a first-come, first-served basis, without a formal nomination. That got the communities running, but it means several seats were never actively chosen and some delegates have since moved on or changed roles. This is not about blame; it is the first step in moving from that bootstrap state to active, chosen representation.

Why this matters: the community decides through delegate votes. When seats are inactive we cannot reach the participation needed to decide, and our voice in OpenSSL governance weakens. Active delegates are what let us make decisions at all.

The following institutions are currently under the 25% bar and their delegate seat is at risk (institutions whose delegate joined after the most recent poll are not listed, since they have not yet had a chance to vote):

MIT, University of Auckland, University of Waterloo, Trinity College Dublin, Masaryk University, Carnegie Mellon University, Arizona State University, University of Tripoli, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Thomas Edison State College/University, UC Irvine, Chelpis Quantum Tech, FWI and NIST, and one retired-academic seat.

What to do by end of day Friday, June 19:

• If you intend to keep representing your institution, please re-engage by voting in the open polls.

• Or nominate a new, active delegate.

• To change your delegate, reach out to the community's BAC representatives (TAC as failover), as described in the policy.

If we do not hear back by June 19, these seats will be reviewed for reassignment so the community can keep functioning. We would much rather keep you represented, so please step up.

Thank you.