Procedural rules

Procedural rules for the Annual General Meeting of Wikimedia Sverige 2020

Why these procedural rules?

Wikimedia Sverige holds its annual general meeting digitally for the first time. The background for that is the current Coronavirus pandemic, and that we deem it impossible to hold a physical meeting and at the same time guarantee the safety and wellbeing of all members. On top of that, we are not allowed to use funding from the WMF to organize physical events until September.

The procedural rules consist of rules and principles for how to run the meeting. They are our common rules for ensuring a proper and just meeting.

Introduction

Time and place

The AGM takes place on 25 April and starts at 10.30. It is expected to finish around 13.00. It will be entirely digital, through the video conference system Zoom, according to these instructions. To connect, we propose that you use Zoom's application, either for computer or smart phone. If you for some reason do not want to use the app you can either participate via phone or see it live streamed via YouTube, but then you will not be able to vote.

Meeting agenda

The meeting agenda can be found here.

Presence

The meeting will begin at 10.30. All members that plan to be present, and especially those who have not used the system before, are asked to connect at 10.00, or at 10.15 at the latest. That gives the officials enough time to help participants who of some reason are having troubles.

User name

Use your first name and your last name when you log in. Do not use a Wikimedia user name, a synonym or an alias as user name. The reason is that we must be able to verify your eligibility to vote in the electoral roll (which consists of all members).

Participate in the meeting

Working methods

The meeting will be entirely digital and take place via Zoom. Discussions will take place orally by asking for the permission to speak – see below. We ask for discussions in the chat to be avoided, as to let the chatting function be restricted to points of orders (see points of order), requests (see requests) or reservations (see reservations).

Ask for the permission to speak

To use your right to speak and make an intervention in the discussion during the AGM you need to ask for the permission to speak. The officials in the meeting will ensure that anyone who does not currently have the permission to speak will have their microphones muted, to minimize the risk of disturbing noises in the background, or that wrong person is speaking at the wrong occasion. Officials will keep track of who is asking for the permission to speak, and the chair of the meeting will give permission according to this. To ask for the permission to speak, you raise your hand [by clicking the buttin "raise hand"]. If you want to read more about how you do that, you can do that here.

Requests

All members who are present in the digital meeting have the right to speak, to put forward proposals (requests) and to vote. That means that all members have the right to say their opinion, to put forward ideas and proposals, and to vote about the issues in the meeting agenda. To put forward a request, use the chat function. Start the proposal with the word "PROPOSAL", followed by your request; we would propose that you formulate the request as "first name and last name requests that...". That makes it easy for the chair of the meeting and the officials to keep track of what in the chat window that is a proposal or request, and from whom it is coming. It is good, but not necessary, to present the proposal by announcing it in a spoken intervention (after having asked for the permission to speak).

Voting

The chair of the meeting decides when it is time to vote. That takes place when the discussion appears to have ended, and when all requests are gathered. The voting is done through acclamation/through green yes/no buttons.

When it is time for elections, secret ballots can be requested, if there are more nominations to the board or the different positions than there are people to elect. In that case, a poll will open up in Zoom where you can vote anonymously.

Decisions

Decisions at the meeting are according to the statutes made through a simple majority of the votes given at the meeting. Members lack the right to vote in matters that concern their own freedom from liability and/or remuneration, and in these matters they are seen as neutral.

Reservations

A present member can make a reservation against a decision. The reservation is made after a decision, before the meeting is closed. It is made by using the chat function, by clearly writing: "RESERVATION: First and last name would like to make a reservation against", followed by what it is one makes a reservation against, in favor of what.

Point of order

When there is an unclarity in the procedural rules, or any other question relating to procedure or order, a present member can raise a point of order. It is done by writing POINT OF ORDER in the chat. As soon as officials and chair of the meeting see this, the point of order is prioritized higher than the ordinary meeting.

Chair of meeting and secretary

The chair of the meeting leads the meeting: gives permission to speak, decides when it is time to vote, and proposes the order of questions. The chair of the meeting is supported by the secretary, who is also responsible for the minutes.

Openness and transparency

All documents of the annual meeting are publicly available on the wiki of Wikimedia Sverige. The recorded annual meeting can be made publicly available, except for when the annual meeting wishes otherwise. Elections are not public.