[RFC 0043] RFC Steering Committee Rotation (NixOS#43)

* RFC-0043: RFC Steering Committee Rotation

* RFC-0043: formatting

* RFC-0043: abdication -> resignation

* RFC-0043: add voting as possible alternatives

* RFC-0043: address reviews

* RFC-0043: rephrase membership ending sentence

* RFC-0043: either -> any

rfcs/0043-rfcsc-rotation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+---
+feature: rfcsc-rotation
+start-date: 2019-04-24
+author: Robin Gloster <[email protected]>, Simon Lackerbauer <[email protected]>
+related-issues: 36
+---
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+Each RFC Steering Committee (RFCSC) unanimously elects the succeeding one at
+their first meeting in December from an open list of nominees.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+The RFC Steering Committee has been established by [RFC
+36](https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/blob/master/rfcs/0036-rfc-process-team-amendment.md).
+Future work for that RFC included a definition of how members to the Committee
+are to be chosen or removed. This RFC provides mechanisms for beginning and
+ending Steering Committee membership. The purpose of this is to ensure that the
+committee:
+
+ * continues to consist of well-informed and motivated members;
+ * continues to represent the evolving community;
+ * remains active and keeps the RFC process running.
+
+# Detailed design
+[design]: #detailed-design
+
+The RFC Steering Committee shall always have five members. If membership drops
+below five members (for example by resignation of a member as detailed below),
+a new member shall be elected without delay after a nomination period of at
+least two weeks (see below for nomination and selection process). If the number
+of members of the RFCSC drops below 4 people, it cannot proceed with shepherd
+team selections until new members have been selected.
+
+## Ending membership
+Membership in the Steering Committee can end by any of the following four
+mechanisms:
+
+1. At the end of an election period.
+2. Resignation
+3. Unanimous vote by all other members after having missed two or more regular
+   meetings without giving an appropriate excuse.
+4. Unanimous vote by all other members due to conduct unbecoming of a member.
+
+A member can resign from the RFC Steering Committee at any time and for any
+reason. A member planning to resign should inform the rest of the RFC
+Steering Committee of their intention at their earliest convenience.
+
+## Becoming a member
+The members chosen through the original implementation as
+specified in RFC 36 are regular members as specified in this RFC. They will
+stay on as members until replaced by new members as outlined below.
+
+If a seat has to be filled earlier than at the yearly vote, the new member will
+only serve for the rest of the term.
+
+Each year at the first meeting of the RFCSC in December (starting 2019,
+approximately a year after establishment in RFC 36) they unanimously decide on
+the succeeding committee members. If unanimous agreement cannot be reached, the
+RFCSC votes on each nominee, ranking them by votes in favour of the candidate
+and further holds run-off votes if there is a tie for the fifth & sixth spot.
+Nominations are open to anyone, and one can either nominate themself or any
+other person who accepts the nomination. Members of the previous RFCSC
+explicitly can stand again, but should reflect on their free time and
+commitment to their role. The nomination period starts at the beginning of
+November, a minimum of four weeks before election, and is announced on all
+relevant communication channels (as of April 2019, discourse.nixos.org,
+IRC #nixos and #nixos-dev, and NixOS Weekly). The new RFCSC takes over in the
+first week of January.
+
+Additionally to RFC 36 a new restriction formally comes into effect. In order
+to avoid conflict of interest there is an upper cap of appointing 2 members
+working for a single employer.
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+The RFCSC basically elects their own successors, but this minimises the
+complexity of having to hold elections, including defining who is eligible to
+vote and how to hold them.
+
+# Alternatives
+[alternatives]: #alternatives
+
+ * Do nothing: then the current members of the RFC Steering Committee as
+   defined in RFC 36 could stay on the Committee indefinitely or at least until
+   that part of RFC 36 is overridden by a newly accepted RFC.
+ * Rigorously defining a voting procedure (though possible, but probably too
+   complex)
+
+# Unresolved questions
+[unresolved]: #unresolved-questions
+
+As of now, none.
+
+# Future work
+[future]: #future-work
+
+As this process is to be implemented over a fairly long time frame (a year for
+each iteration), this framework might have to be revised at a later date,
+incorporating any experience made over these years.