Requests for Comment/Wiki governance and local elections

It should be well known that Miaheze functions based on the principle of community consensus and that if such consensus and good arguments exist for implementing policy changes, these will be implemented. After various experiences with some wikis but also sometimes in global votes, it has become clear that some additional rules and guidelines are needed to ensure that wiki governance and local elections are fairly conducted and that the principle of community consensus is adhered to all over the farm.

For local elections, this will be achieved by largely codifying (and therefore gaining community approval for) the already existing Local elections guidelines/recommendations which have generally been well received. If approved, the first proposals will be included in a new Wiki governance and voting policy page and the ones related to Local elections will modify the current Local elections guideline and make it into a policy as updating it with some of the changes here. Thanks to Agent, Raidarr, NotAracham and BrandoWM for helping with this RfC.

Notes regarding this RfC: None of the original proposals in this RfC are mutually exclusive. If you think it is absolutely necessary to add an alternative or new proposal even after voting has commenced (which is generally not encouraged) please add it as "Proposal X Alternative X". Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)

Wiki governance and voting

Proposal 1: Wiki governance

 * Wikis are governed (or managed) by bureaucrats, administrators or any other designated group with similar functions. Wikis on Miraheze generally function by the principle of community consensus. Miraheze holds the attitude that wikis are not owned by any user, but by their community.

Bureaucrats and administrators are accountable to their community and may not take actions which are inconsistent with the community's will (for example, they must abide by written policies voted by the community). No user with advanced rights should consider themselves the sole arbiter in all things or the 'leader' of the wiki.

If bureaucrats or sysops do not respect the will of the community, Stewards may intervene and give effect to the community's wishes. Please see Stewards for more details.

Support (1)

 * 1)  This is already the status quo and our farm purpose isn't to allow single users to control a wiki which is a collaborative project. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Absolutely. This is already the status quo, as Reception123 states, so this proposal is perfect as it finally codifies what is already practice which will make it easier for users and admins to know how we view wikis as it happens often on big wikis (AVID Wiki as a recent example) where bureaucrats view themselves as dictators and unilaterally defy their communities wishes.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Not only does this codify an existing standard, it also brings governance language in line with other language/practice included in our recent code of conduct and content policy overhauls.  An easy support. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 00:24, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  This is the current status quo and this would only serve to codify practice. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:17, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per Agent Isai Hb1290 (talk) 05:47, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  I totally support.  More fun when community comes first and a unified vocabulary will really help.  Looking forward to reading Wiki_governance_and_voting_policy  --Imamy (talk) 06:04, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  Codifying status quo and one of the most important principles of the farm - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 9)  A welcome codification and clarification. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 10)  I have read the text and it is a very correct proposal, I support it. Best regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 11:54, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Oppose (1)

 * 1)  While understanding that wikis hosted by Miraheze are not "owned" by individual users, it is necessary and can be highly desirable in many instances to have an autocrat rule a wiki with an iron but fair fist — fair in the sense they follow the terms of use of Miraheze and English law. I believe community consensus, unless dictated otherwise by local wiki policy, is best left non-binding. The Internet is far too vulnerable to mob rule to demand sociocracy. Even Wikipedia is only loosely determined by "consensus" and uses many obscure means of ignoring or suppressing it. --SchizoidNightmares (talk) 18:23, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 1.2: Actions

 * Bureaucrats, administrators or any other designated group with similar functions must not take actions that are clearly arbitrary, unfair and for which no reason is given.

Rationale: In some cases it has been observed that admins take actions against users and don't even attempt to explain why they took such action. In order to be accountable, actions taken must be explained in a transparent way.

Support (1.2)

 * 1)  This is very related to Proposal 1 but sometimes we see that administrators take actions against users and don't even provide any sort of actual justification. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Very reasonable. As stated in my support for proposal 1, it has occured before that bureaucrats take unilateral, sweeping actions against users without any real reason (i.e. on avidwiki, the bureaucrat demoted and blocked editors for nonsensical reasons/no reason).  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  One of those things you hope doesn't have to be said, but as above, there have been enough examples this needs to be codified as baseline. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 00:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Sadly, as NotAracham stated, this has to be codified. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:17, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per Agent Isai, particularly given our own experience on AVID Wiki. Hb1290 (talk) 05:47, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  --Imamy (talk) 06:54, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  per BrandonWM - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 9)  We should not support wikis being ran as dictatorships. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 10)  per Agent Isai, Best Regards  Hey Türkiye  Message? 11:56, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 11)  Transparency's incredibly important for moderators/admins in community projects in general. This also benefits the community standards with regards to wikis' staff rotation and the inevitable departures and new arrivals by making prior precedent a lot easier to check.

Oppose (1.2)

 * 1)  Sometimes it is necessary to make what may appear as arbitrary or unexplained decisions. In the case of dealing with malicious or otherwise undesirable users, it is best to feed them as little attention as possible. Attention is almost always the motivation for that kind of activity — be it originating from boredom or poor socialization. Mandating broad transparency in action is not appropriate for all wikis. --SchizoidNightmares (talk) 18:31, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 2: Personal wikis

 * In the following situations, the principle of community consensus is not applicable and the user who requested the wiki is solely responsible for governing their wiki:
 * private personal wikis wholly or substantially about the user who filed the original request
 * public personal e-portfolio
 * curriculum vitae (résumé)
 * blog
 * other narrowly-construed wikis with a similar purpose

Support (2)

 * 1)  In these cases it doesn't make sense to rule by consensus. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Reasonable. It wouldn't make sense to have a personal wiki being run by consensus and the bureaucrat potentially being ousted somehow from a wiki about themselves.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Further RfC points touch further on edge cases to the personal wiki scenario, but this also needs to be spelled out for similar reasons to 1.2 --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 00:30, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Current status quo, just codifying it. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:16, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  I agree with this list.  Also it's so easy to request a new wiki, contribute the same content to the new wiki, that if a group has enough members, it should be easier to make the new site work than try and redefine an existing one that was started by someone else.  --Imamy (talk) 06:34, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  Proposal 1 and these wikis co-existing would be, at least de jure, unsustainable without this proposal - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8) Conditional  as long as the language proposed by NotAracham is added as I belive that it is more suitable than the current provision. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 9)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 11:59, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (2)

 * 1) I'd also consider adding language to the effect of "The above list is a representative but non-exhaustive of things which might be considered 'personal wikis'.  Steward discretion shall be used in cases not covered by the above." --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 00:31, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 2, Amendment 1
"The above list is representative but not exhaustive of all things which might be considered 'personal wikis'. Steward discretion shall be used in assessing wikis that do not fit into the stated examples." --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 18:04, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Add language following the example list of personal wikis:
 * Intent is to clarify that we are not narrowly-defining what can be a personal wiki and leave final determination on edge cases to stewards

Support (2A1)

 * 1)  adding support as proposer --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 18:04, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 3.1: Weighing of outside votes

 * A vote by a user who is clearly not genuinely connected to the wiki's community is to be weighed less than other votes.

This is to be interpreted narrowly. The presumption is that a user is connected to a wiki's community.

Examples of a user who is clearly not genuinely connected include but are not limited to: a user who has a very small amount of meaningful edits on the wiki, a user who very recently attached their account on a wiki, a user whose edits are clearly made in order to escape this provision.

This does not apply to Requests for Comment or global permission requests on Meta.

Rationale: If this were not the case, a large group of users from one wiki could create accounts on another and arbitrarily demote an existing bureaucrat or enact other changes even though they have nothing to do with the wiki. This proposal doesn't target "new users", it only aims to prevent users who have nothing to do with a community from being able to seriously influence its policies or which users get promoted.

Support (3.1)

 * 1)  It happens that sometimes users from one community invite users from other wikis to come vote. It doesn't seem fair that users who have no relation to the community have the same say as users who do. For a real world example, countries don't allow non-citizens to vote. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Absolutely necessary. It wouldn't make sense if an outside user can interject in a discussion just because.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Having seen outside canvassing efforts (also covered in later points) for exactly this scenario of overwhelming local consensus, I agree that clarifying language is needed to deter that kind of action. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 00:34, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  This could be manipulated in a variety of ways, but the wording is strong enough that I can support. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  I appreciate this point being made.  I feel touched and blessed to see that the quality and effort made by a contributor matters in an election.  --Imamy (talk) 07:26, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per BrandonWM. I think the wording could be better, but I agree on principle. If nothing else I believe we'll be forced to change it sooner or later once a would-be canvasser stirs up enough outrage inside their community based on the vague wording. - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  The principle behind this proposal is something I agree with and think it is perfectly normal to not give the same weight to users who have no connection with the community as users who have been there and work on the wiki. No it is not creating 'inferior people' because as Reception123 pointed out usefully it is customary for all countries around the world to only allow people who are genuinkly connected to those countries (i.e. by citizenship) to take part in elections or referendums. If this were not the case it is easy to imagine people inviting foreign citizens to come and vote. A full ban in this case is not possible as there is no clear dividing line between people connected to a wiki and people not connected. I understand that it is hard to have a clear figure but I am a little concerned about the wording and vagueness of the proposal and would be open to supporting an amendment that is more clear. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Oppose (3.1)

 * 1) This makes no sense and is also impossible. Firstly, what does it mean to be "weighed" less? If this is some sort of poll, what is the multiplier for these "inferior people"? But if polling is not a substitute for discussion, then all of the strength is inherently from the content, and there's no way that the person who wrote it could be "weighed less". Naleksuh (talk) 04:54, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * You started an RfC recently on the usage of Wikipedia policies, please keep in mind that polling not being a substitute for discussion isn't necessarily a Miraheze-wide rule right now. Collei (talk) 05:02, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Could you highly where exactly I said it's a Miraheze-wide rule? It seems like I clearly wrote "if", and that it was nothing more than a thought. Naleksuh (talk) 05:04, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * The idea is, as explained, that it wouldn't be fair for users who have nothing to do with a community to significantly influence a vote, as someone who fits in this category would be highly unlikely to even understand the community well enough. Without this proposal, what would stop someone from getting 20 friends to create accounts and take over another wiki by ousting the administrators and bureaucrats? As for the weight, it would basically mean that when closing, if most votes come from users in this category, the proposal could not be considered successful. Wikis are free to develop more specific criteria if they wish. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 06:17, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * has more than one meaning, I may have interpreted your use incorrectly: https://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/if. Collei (talk) 16:28, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Abstain (3.1)

 * 1)  As BrandonWM has said, this might be too vague or open to abuse. I'm unsure how to go about "correctly" codifying this in a way that won't open up the possibility for abuse. Collei (talk) 04:18, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Amendment 1 to Proposal 3.1
The following is added to Proposal 3.1: An example of what 'weighed less' is a situation where a permission request or a proposal passing depends on the votes of users who are clearly not genuinely connected to the wiki's community. In that case the proposal would not pass because it depends on those votes and without those votes there would not be a majority.

Support (A1 3.1)

 * 1)  I do not claim that this amendment is the best possible option but I think it is necessary to provide clarity to users regarding what 3.1 means. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:40, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  While there's probably a better way to get the intended outcome, this is acceptable.  alternate language with minor edits for clarity supplied in comments, feel free to take or leave. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 18:15, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (A1 3.1)

 * 1) Proposed alternate language: An example where 'weighed less' would apply is a permission request or a proposal in which the supporting majority are overwhelmingly user accounts which joined in the last few hours, while long-time community members are uniformly opposed. Despite majority support, the proposal/permission request would be unsuccessful because the majority clearly does not represent the established community.

Proposal 3.2: Tight-knit communities
Whether a wiki falls under this category will be determined by a Steward by reference to its purpose or description and all the circumstances. A wiki which was initially part of this category may evolve and no longer be considered a "tight-knit" community at a later time.
 * If a wiki focuses on a niche topic, has a small number of active users and can be characterized as a 'tight-knit community', votes by users part of the group may be weighed more than others.

Rationale: This is similar to 3.1 but only would also cover cases when there's a small community but then new users join (and contribute enough to not be caught by 3.1) and attempt to change the wiki's direction. In such cases, it would be fair to allow the original community to govern themselves.

Support (3.2)

 * 1)  Similarly to 3.1, it doesn't seem fair from outside users to come and disrupt the functioning of a smaller community with its own rules and conventions. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Reasonable. Wouldn't make sense to allow outsiders to take over a wiki.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Similar to Proposal 2, and I support because tight-knit communities shouldn't have their wiki governance ability stripped from them. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Common sense, codifies the discretion Stewards already have at their disposal to prevent 'raids' on other wikis. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 02:58, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:18, 8 February 2023 (UTC) see my comments in the oppose section, temporarily weak oppose until some issues are worked out. Collei (talk) 16:30, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)   --Imamy (talk) 08:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  Support the principle with concerns about vagueness and likely confusion it could cause to some users. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Oppose (3.2)

 * 1)  per CaptainOfTheTidesBreath comment. While we might personally know the intent of the policy, I think the layman reading of it is very different and is doomed to cause legitimate arguments born out of confusion down the line. If changes are made to make it obvious that this is intended to protect inherently niche topics (like those noted in Agent Isai's comment) rather than e.g. publically-available media that just so happened to be unpopular at the time of wiki creation, I would support this proposal. - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  until these mentioned issues are worked out. We need a very clear specification of what we plan to implement until implementing it can be ready to be voted on (or maybe !voted upon, depending on what standard you wish to follow). Collei (talk) 16:29, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (3.2)

 * Is it possible to better define what sorts of "niche topics" would fall under this? I've had previous experience (on other platforms) with poorly managed wikis per their reputation in the wider communities with small editing communities run by tight knit groups, and it felt constantly like an unspoken version of this was wielded to prevent any amount of meaningful change for the betterment of the wiki as proposed by newer editors. I would not have personally considered those wikis as for niche topics, but my experience compels me to ask for at least some clarification on how a Steward would make this determination. —CaptainOfTheTidesBreath (aye, captain!) 06:10, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * This clause has in mind wikis with topics such as private DnD campaign wikis, small wikis documenting a Discord server for example, etc. The wiki you describe would likely not be shielded by this clause on Miraheze as this clause mainly intends to shield small wikis where it doesn't make sense to have users rule by consensus (i.e. wikis about a small gaming group and such). Agent Isai  Talk to me! 06:23, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * https://www.grammarly.com/blog/know-your-latin-i-e-vs-e-g/ Collei (talk) 16:32, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 3.3: Canvassing or solicitation of votes

 * Privately asking multiple users to support a permissions request is not allowed. [1]
 * Asking a large number of users who are not affiliated or genuinely connected to the wiki's community to vote in any request is not allowed.
 * Promising an advantage or preferential treatment in exchange for a support vote is not allowed.

[1] Generally asking users to vote in a neutral manner is not covered, but should ideally be done publicly (i.e. not via private message)

Support (3.3)

 * 1)  This is quite obviously something we don't want to have. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Very reasonable. A canvassing guideline is definitely needed. We already, by convention, prohibit canvassing but formalizing this prohibition on the practice is very important to have a policy standing to do so.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Obviously. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Yes.  Converts an already-observed (and necessary) best practice into official policy. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:00, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:19, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)   --Imamy (talk) 08:28, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  per Agent Isai - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  Even though in real life "canvassing" is certainly possible in elections there are other rules that govern transparency and the dynamics are very different to a on-wiki project. Therefore I am willing to support this as it is easy to ask users who are less familiar with Miraheze or who are more suspcebtile to help one "win" an election. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 9)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 4: Policies

 * All wikis are governed by Global policies and any local policies or practices that violate global policies are not allowed. This includes local policies that adopt lower standards than ones contained in global policies.


 * In most cases, local administrators and bureaucrats are responsible for ensuring that global policies are being respected on their wikis. Stewards and, in some cases other global groups, are also responsible to ensure that global policies are being respected across Miraheze.


 * This policy imposes certain minimum standards but wikis are encouraged to develop their own policies and may provide higher standards than those contained in this policy.

Rationale: This doesn't change the status quo it just codifies it.

Support (4)

 * 1)  Codifies the status quo. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Status quo already so no harm in codifying it.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Codifying status quo. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Global governance policy has always been treated as and should be a baseline to build upon, not optional and to be ignored as wanted. This codifies that understanding. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:04, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:20, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per NotAracham - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  A useful codification. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:27, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (4)
Local elections

Proposal 5: Definition and scope
A local election is a process on a wiki where a user self-nominates or is nominated to hold specific permissions, such as administrator and/or bureaucrat. They are governed by local policies (if they exist) and typically overseen by local bureaucrats. If neither applies, a Steward may be brought in to oversee the election and assess its results based on global policies, conventions, best practices and case-by-case discretion.

Wikis are recommended to develop their own election process and related policies, and have them ratified by the community by way of vote.

Restricted local groups such as CheckUser, local Interwiki administrators and Oversight require filling specific requirements set globally, outlined on their respective pages.

This policy only applies to the election of users in specific roles (i.e. it does not apply to voting on policies).

Support (5)

 * 1)  Makes sense to have a default for local elections if local policies don't exist. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Reasonable definition of what an election is.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Local elections are always a strong idea. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Minor definitional and scope changes (see comments) that mesh well with the rest of these policy points. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:12, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:21, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per NotAracham - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  Useful to codify. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (5)
As this is near 1:1 with existing definition page for Local elections, an update on what's changed: --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:40, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1) Minor formatting cleanups
 * 2) Clarifying that local election process/policy should be ratified with a community vote
 * 3) Clarifying that local checkuser/IW Admin/oversight permissions require candidate to meet globally-set minimum requirements
 * 4) Clarifying that the policy document for local elections should not be construed as applying to votes on local policy (e.g. Local RfCs)

Proposal 6: Elections on wikis with inactive bureaucrats
The following conditions apply to such elections (private wikis are dealt with separately):
 * If a wiki's bureaucrats have been absent for some time and there is nobody to assess local decisions, provide direction, use ManageWiki or enforce global policies (such as the Content Policy and the Code of Conduct and no policies are developed locally to cover this scenario, the community must set up a local election. The following sections assume there is no local governance to supervise and that the election will be 'called' by a Steward.
 * The nominee should be an existing contributor, locally active or at least have an edit history, even if it is built after the election starts.
 * The nominee should have a clear and specific idea of what they wish to do with the rights. A general or vague will to 'improve the wiki' will not suffice.
 * If present, the existing community should be supportive. [IF PROPOSAL 3.1 passes: In accordance with the weighing of outside votes rule, votes by users who are not genuinely connected to the wiki's community will be weighed less]. Third parties (such as an existing linked discord server) may also be considered, but on-wiki accounts with edit history will be given more weight
 * The proceedings should be as transparent as possible - further details are in the process section.

Support (6)

 * 1)  Per the current local election guidelines. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Already the status quo.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  I believe this is the current status quo, and serves to codify. As a result, support. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  overall minor edits + incorporation of other key proposals, this has my support. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:20, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Indeed a good idea, same as others. Collei (talk) 04:21, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  This was a major issue for us prior to our leadership change on AVID. It's good to see a proper proceedure for this codified at last. Hb1290 (talk) 05:47, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  per NotAracham - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  This is a sound procedure. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 9)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (6)
As this is near 1:1 with existing definition page for Local elections, an update on what's changed: --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:40, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1) Minor formatting cleanups
 * 2) Added clause with supporting language that global policy is minimum and must be enforced with local elections
 * 3) Added clause clarifying that the community MUST host a local election in the case of absent leadership
 * 4) Updated clause clarifying that the following conditions MUST be applied, and moved disclaimer about private wiki handling to same line
 * 5) Clarified that nominee should have both clear AND specific goals on how they will guide the wiki if approved
 * 6) Added clarifying language that incorporates policy 3.1 rules (if approved) on outside voters not genuinely connected to the wiki
 * 7) Clarified that wiki-specific third-party communities (e.g. discord servers) are valid as additional consideration for elections.

Proposal 7: Appointment on wikis with no community
If there is no existing community or an extremely small one, a user may be temporarily appointed by a Steward to a position provided that they demonstrate a need and clearly indicate their intentions. An 'appointment' is not to be equivalent to an 'election'.

Support (7)

 * 1)  It's quite absurd to hold 'elections' when there's no one to vote in them, so it makes sense to have this temporarily until a community exists. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  I've been wanting to implement something like this for a while now. It makes no sense to have users 'win' an election by acclamation on wikis with no users. Holding an election on a wiki with no users is a bit too much bureaucracy as you go the extra mile just for no one to vote and for you to win by acclamation. A temporary appointment makes more sense as they can be renewed on a need basis from the bureaucrat and once the wiki is large enough, a community can actually fully promote a bureaucrat/sysop.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  It would be stupid to do anything but. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Considering that this exact scenario has come up three times in the last week, current policy mandating elections on wikis with zero active users is a waste of steward time.  While this approach would normally give me pause, as those community members have recourse should a dead community revive itself, I don't have a problem with temporary appointments instead of holding an election with no voters. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:23, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Yeah, honestly, we're requiring people to run "elections" when we all know that the result will be nobody voting. It's just pointless bureaucracy. Collei (talk) 04:22, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  since holding elections with the expectation that nobody will vote and a victory by default will be granted is honestly disrespectful to both the time of Stewards and users requesting rights alike - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  Elections by acclamation do not make sense and are a ineffectual formality and bureaucracy that should not be needed. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  per above. In fact, I'd also support permanently giving users bureaucrat and administrator status on wikis if they're the only active user, have a certain number of constructive contributions (100-250, maybe up to 500), and have been active for some time on the wiki. Tali64³ (talk) 11:42, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 9)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 8: Election process
Elections should take place on a very prominent page. This could be the wiki's community portal, a designated place, or if nothing like this exists, on the talk page of the main page or a page specifically made for the job. It cannot be 'hidden' on an obscure or unknown page. If this criteria is not met, an election may be deemed to be invalid.

The nominee should at the minimum present themselves, what rights they want and their intentions. There should be at least a discussion section below that where people can ask questions and leave their input. The conventional model consists of sections for support, oppose, neutral and comments.

The community should be informed of the process (for example, if deemed appropriate, with a sitenotice or a message on the Main Page). A Steward may be contacted if no one has access to the above.

Active contributors and existing bureaucrats active on the wiki must be made aware of the election, if there are any.

Support (8)

 * 1)  Elections should be transparent and everyone in the community should know about them. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  This is already the status quo and has been a practice since before I was a Steward so there's no harm in formally codifying this process so that wiki requesters can easily see how we formally want an election to look like. It makes sense to have an election advertised on a prominent page in order to allow for maximum visibility.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Community portal or an RfP page would be good for visibility, and obviously the candidate should give a statement as to why they should serve in the role, or the nominator should. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  much cleaner language, added clause about requirements for considering an election valid is a good clarifying point. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:29, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Good idea Collei (talk) 04:22, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per NotAracham - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  I support this as long as some leeway is given to local wikis as to how to run the election and where to advertise it. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (8)
As this is near 1:1 with existing definition page for Local elections, an update on what's changed: --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:40, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1) Minor formatting cleanups
 * 2) General language simplification w/o changing intent
 * 3) Adds clause clarifying that an election which is not clearly held on a prominent page will be considered invalid

Proposal 9: Election duration and closure

 * All local elections involving advanced permissions (administrator, bureaucrat, etc.) must stay open for at least 5 days (but 7 days is recommended).

In case there is no local bureaucrat to effectuate the election, the result should be taken back to the Stewards' noticeboard - in the original section if it's been brought up before, or a new one if it has not.

Support (9)

 * 1)  There should be enough time for the community to express itself. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  This is already the status quo (we advise all requesters to wait for a minimum of 5-7 days before asking us to close an election) so this would only codify the status quo.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Status quo, codifying. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Simplified language + adding local closure rules gets my support --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:34, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Sure. Collei (talk) 04:23, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per NotAracham - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Oppose (9)

 * 1)  I support a recommendation but do not support a mandatory 5 day period. This is for two reasons. The first is that many times there will not even be an election and administrators will just be appointed by bureaucrats so it is an odd occurance to mandate minimums for elections but for this to be bypassed on a wiki with a small community where elections do not even take place. The second is that it is hard to enforce and that it is not clear whether an election closed earlier could be deemed invalid if the limit is not respected. Therefore I support this only insofar as it is only a recommendation. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * The first issue raised here can be resolved through Proposal 7. The second is simple, it is clear: an election that runs for less than 5 days is invalid. Collei (talk) 16:37, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (9)
Changes vs Local elections:

--NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:40, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1) Simplifies cumbersome multi-sentence language down to a single, clear sentence that outlines minimums
 * 2) Adds clause allowing local bureaucrats to close out an election provided that minimums are met.

Proposal 10: Private and personal wikis

 * Only users who can have view permissions on a private wiki may run for a position on that wiki. External users who cannot view the wiki cannot run for any position within the wiki.


 * No users may run for a positions on wikis [that are listed in Proposal 2].


 * If a wikis focuses on a niche topic, can be characterized as a 'tight-knit community', and has a small number of active users only a user who is part of the group of users may be nominated for a position. It should be clarified that users may become part of the group at any time; it is not limited to users who were originally part of it.

Support (10)

 * 1)  Makes sense. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Perfectly reasonable. It wouldn't make sense to allow any user who can't even view the wiki/isn't part of the wiki community to run for any position.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  It would make 0 sense otherwise. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Generally supported in principle, I'd like to also see clarifying language regarding local bureaucrats changing wiki status to private in order to fend off local election eligibility. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:43, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Steward discretion would be in order as such an action violates the principle of operating by consensus by attempting to suppress it. Agent Isai  Talk to me! 03:58, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1)  Collei (talk) 04:23, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Agree in principle but echoing my worries with the loose layman interpretation of what encompasses a "tight-knit community" as with Proposal 3.2 - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  I also agree with the principle but echo comments in Proposal 3.2. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Oppose (10)

 * 1) We need stronger language and clarification on niche, tight-knit, and personal communities, so that we don't alarm the average layman, as CabraComunista and others have pointed out. Collei (talk) 16:39, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (10)
Changes from Local_elections: --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:39, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1) Minor language cleanup / consistency
 * 2) Add clauses covering proposal 2 "personal" wikis in greater detail
 * 3) Added updated language on niche/closely-knit communities
 * 4) Clarifies that users can become part of that closely-knit community over time -- just because they're currently ineligible to hold roles doesn't mean they can't become eligible at a later date.

Proposal 11: Minor local rights

 * On wikis with inactive bureaucrats, Stewards may grant small local rights to users upon request and proper need without a local election. This includes and is not limited to: Autopatrolled, Confirmed, and Rollbacker. They can be requested on Stewards' noticeboard while stating the reason for why the rights are needed.

Support (11)

 * 1)  Once again, it wouldn't make sense to demand elections in an underdeveloped community. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  This has been the status quo since forever ago (so much so that it has its own section on the Stewards' noticeboard, see Stewards' noticeboard) so it'd make perfect sense to codify this in as Stewards act like local bureaucrats on wikis without any active one.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  In terms of granting rights, no issue. Granting rollbacker gives me pause, but it's fine in the long run. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  This is already policy in Local_elections, there's only minor language cleanup here.  No reason to oppose. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:45, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5) Conditional support Some Fandom wikis and such decide to repurpose the rollback group into a lower-level or "trial" moderator role, due to Fandom's reluctance to make custom user groups. I think this should only apply to wikis where they haven't turned small groups like autopatrolled and rollback into significant groups, because I can see many people (especially those who migrated from Fandom or are regular Fandom contributors) doing this. Collei (talk) 04:25, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * So far I haven't encountered any such wikis but quite true. I'll definitely note this as that's quite true that some small groups are sometimes retooled. Agent Isai  Talk to me! 04:35, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1)  for the same reason as Proposal 7 - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Even if I am not sure how necessary it is due to the minor nature of these rights I do not see any problem with this. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 12.1: Removing bureaucrats

 * Miraheze wikis are configured by default to only permit Stewards to remove bureaucrats. The same rules as described above apply for removal of bureaucrats.


 * In order for a bureaucrat to be removed at least 50% of users must support the removal and a valid reason must exist for the removal (for example, a bureaucrat may be removed if they are acting against the community's interests).


 * Removing a bureaucrat without community consensus or very compelling/emergency reasons is highly frowned upon. If this happens, Stewards may intervene if necessary.

Support (12.1)

 * 1)  It doesn't seem fair to remove a bureaucrat if the majority of users disagree with this removal, per the principle of community consensus. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Per Reception123.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Per Reception123. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  As above rules for determining 'support' have been applied via changes to referencing how elections are run, this seems to avoid the normal pitfalls that a 50% threshold may have.  Also... stewards can always apply their judgement in edge cases. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:50, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Good idea Collei (talk) 04:26, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per Reception123 - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  Bureaucrats are important to a wiki's community and they should not be able to be removed by a rogue "coup d'état" or by a minority of users. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Comments (12.1)
Changes from Local_elections --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:49, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1) Minor language cleanup
 * 2) Removes bureaucrat-specific language on existing page and replaced with reference to above procedure for running elections for consistency.
 * 3) Adds a minimum threshold of 50% support for removal

Proposal 12.2: Removing major contributor

 * If a user has contributed to the vast majority of content on a wiki, they may only be removed as administrator or bureaucrat if there is a very good and genuine reason for doing so. A major contributor may not be removed from advanced permissions simply because they have different views or ideas about the wiki's direction. A major contributor may only be removed following a vote, unless there are compelling/emergency reasons.

Support (12.2)

 * 1)  It makes sense that someone who has contributed to the "vast majority" (a high bar) of content and therefore has put a lot of time and effort into it shouldn't be able to be removed as administrator or bureaucrat just because others disagree with their ideas. If the major contributor isn't doing a good job as an administrator, that's a different issue and wouldn't be covered. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:06, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  Per Reception123.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  This makes sense, helped draft this proposal so I'm all for it. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  This is a net-new section and in-line with other changes, no reason to oppose. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:52, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5) Conditional support Depends how you define "disagreeing" and "major contributor". Some people have huge egos and think their harassment and horrible behavior is just "disagreeing". I would want the policy to have a specific definition of what a disagreement is, what high-quality contributions are, etc. Collei (talk) 04:28, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Using a percentage or number was considered but I thought it would be an incentive for someone to inflate their contributions in order to become 'protected' here, which is why this would be determined by an objective look at their contributions to the wiki. But if you really want a percentage, I'd say that less than 70-80% of contributions to the wiki's content wouldn't do. As for disagreement, administrators/bureaucrats are there to manage the wiki and aren't obliged to agree with other users when it comes to ideas or its direction. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 06:19, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 1)  since it provides wikis that are pseudo-solo projects (but don't have the correct scope to be considered personal wikis as per Proposal 2) some form of protection against unjustified coups - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  I support the idea behind this as someone who has worked hard and spent their time working on a project should not be able to be kicked out at the behest of some new users who want to go their own ways. This does not erode the concept of consensus too much either as it remains possible to remove a major contributor as long as there are good reasons for doing so. If this provision did not exist there might be a chilling effect on users working hard to build a wiki from scratch if they knew that a group of users could come later on and remove them from all their positions and even eventually block them. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposal 13: Wikis with conflicting groups/management

 * In a situation where there are two equally represented conflicting groups with different visions or ideas for the wiki who are unable to reach an agreement among themselves, they may contact Stewards who will mediate.


 * In extreme circumstances where there is clearly no prospect of agreement or reconciliation between the two groups, Stewards may, in accordance with the Content Policy, allow for a fork of the wiki to be created and the two groups to separate. Otherwise, the wiki should be closed.

Support (13)

 * 1)  Has happened in the past, best to have it clarified. Reception123 (talk) ( C ) 12:08, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 2)  It is already the status quo to reach out to Stewards in case of a dispute, as per the Stewards policy. The latter portion could be helpful in many cases and in fact, I have a few historical cases I can think of where this provision could've helped a lot.  Agent Isai  Talk to me! 14:38, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 3)  Status quo. Thanks - BrandonWM (talk • contributions • global • rights) 01:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 4)  Another net new section that further clarifies what was recently established with the Content Policy overhaul regarding wiki fork creations. --NotAracham (talk • contribs • global) 03:53, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 5)  Collei (talk) 04:29, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 6)  per Agent Isai - CabraComunista (talk) 10:03, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 7)  This seems quite obvious but if it is felt that it is necessary to be codified I do not have any issues. I strongly recommend moving this to the governance page and not the local elections page as this has nothing to do with elections. --DeeM28 (talk) 10:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 8)  I support by joining the community. Best Regards,  Hey Türkiye  Message? 12:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)