Between May 1 and May 15, 2025, everyone are invited to review and comment on the selection rules package that will be used for this year's selection.
The package includes campaign rules, voter eligibility criteria, voting method, and voting platform. These were based on the rules formulated for the 2024 Board selection that also underwent a similar community review period.
Please visit the Meta-wiki talk page to provide your comments now and invite people you know to do so as well. Your comments will help the Elections Committee provide a smoother, better Board selection process.
The tables below contain the changes, both rewording and new addition, to some sections of the selection rules for 2025. Otherwise, the selection rules are the same as the 2024 version.
Publish content about their candidacy and election events only in online spaces where it is welcome by the space organizers;
Campaign as an individual, not as a group of candidates; and
Follow the rules of participating in events as set out by the event organisers (i.e., if organisers ask candidates not to campaign, then that must be respected).[1]
Publish content about their candidacy and election events only in online spaces where it is welcome by the space organizers;
Answer all the required questions in the application to be eligible for candidacy;
Disclose any and all perceived, potential, or actual conflict of interests situations that could affect their work in the Wikimedia movement ecosystem;
Campaign as an individual, not as a group of candidates; and
Follow the rules of participating in events as set out by the event organisers (i.e. if organisers ask candidates not to campaign then that must be respected).
Similar to the 2024 selection, the EC will select 5 questions from among the questions submitted by the community. This year, however, the community will be invited to submit those questions when the process kicks off in May 2025, so the EC-selected questions will be incorporated into the candidate application. This is meant to improve and ease the burden on the candidates who will only have to answer one set of questions in one place (as opposed to answering questions two different times in two different places), and make it easier for voters to view all the responses on one Meta page.
Also new this year, individual Wikimedians may endorse or express support for a certain question to be selected by the EC; the EC will consider those endorsements when making their final decision. You can do this by adding your endorsement below the question(s) that you want to see candidates respond to before the call for questions closes.
Current text
In each selection process, the community has the opportunity to submit questions for the Board of Trustees candidates to answer. The Election Committee selects questions from the list developed by the community for the candidates to answer. Candidates are only required to answer these selected questions.[1]
Proposed text
In each selection process, the community has the opportunity to submit questions for the Board of Trustees candidates to answer. The Election Committee selects questions from the list developed by the community for the candidates to answer. Candidates are only required to answer these selected questions. Candidates must answer all the required questions in the application in order to be eligible; otherwise their application will be disqualified.
You may vote from any single registered account you own on a Wikimedia wiki. You may only vote once, regardless of how many accounts you own. To qualify, this one account must:
not be site-wide blocked in more than one public project;
and not be a bot;
and have made at least 300 edits before [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting] across Wikimedia wikis;
and have made at least 20 edits between [START DATE – 12 months before the first day of voting] and [END DATE – 30 days before first day of voting]
You may vote from any single registered account you own on a Wikimedia wiki. You may only vote once, regardless of how many accounts you own. To qualify, this one account must:
not currently be blocked globally;
not be site-wide blocked in more than one public project;
not currently be locked;
not be a bot;
have made at least 300 edits before [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting] across Wikimedia wikis; and
have made at least 20 edits between [START DATE – 12 months before the first day of voting] and [END DATE – 30 days before first day of voting]
The AccountEligibility tool can be used to quickly verify basic editor voting eligibility.
Wikimedia movement affiliates’ staff and contractors
Current Wikimedia chapter, thematic organization or user group staff and contractors qualify to vote if they have been employed by their organization as of [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting].
Members of formal bodies as defined in the bylaws of the current Wikimedia Chapters, thematic organizations or user groups qualify to vote if they have been serving in those functions as of [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting].
The Affiliations Committee and Elections Committee will confirm the list of eligible Wikimedia Affiliates by [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting].[2]
Proposed text
Current Wikimedia chapter, thematic organization or user group staff and contractors qualify to vote if they have been employed by their organization as of [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting].
Members of formal bodies as defined in the bylaws of the current Wikimedia Chapters, thematic organizations or user groups qualify to vote if they have been serving in those functions as of [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting].
Individuals requesting to vote under this category must include proof from their respective affiliate. Their Affiliate must be deemed “compliant” with their reporting requirement. The Affiliations Committee and Elections Committee will confirm the list of eligible Wikimedia Affiliates by [END DATE – 30 days before the first day of voting].
Community organizers in good standing, who do not qualify to vote under other categories, qualify to vote if they meet one of the following:
have applied for, received and reported on at least one Wikimedia Foundation grant since [START DATE – 12 months before the first day of voting].
were an organizer of at least one funded hackathon, competition or other Wikimedia event with on-wiki documentation and at least 10 attendees/visitors/participants between [START DATE – 12 months before the first day of voting] and [END DATE – 30 days before first day of voting].
If you received a Wikimedia Foundation grant, please provide a link to your grant report. For organizers, please provide a link to the invite page or any proof of the event online.[3]
Proposed text
Community organizers in good standing, who do not qualify to vote under other categories, qualify to vote if they meet one of the following:
have applied for, received and reported on at least one Wikimedia Foundation grant since [START DATE – 12 months before the first day of voting].
were an organizer of at least one funded hackathon, competition or other Wikimedia event with on-wiki documentation and at least 10 attendees/visitors/participants between [START DATE – 12 months before the first day of voting] and [END DATE – 30 days before first day of voting].
are a staff member, contractor, or Board member of a pilot hub that receives funding from WMF specifically for piloting a hub since [START DATE – 12 months before the first day of voting].
Individuals requesting to vote under this category must include proof of their activity. If you received a Wikimedia Foundation grant, please provide a link to your grant report. For organizers, please provide a link to the invite page or any proof of the event online.
