Merge #206

206: [RFC] Add voting majority RFC r=japaric a=adamgreig

RFC to address #193.

[Rendered](https://github.com/rust-embedded/wg/blob/voting-majority/rfcs/0000-voting-majority.md).

Co-authored-by: Adam Greig <[email protected]>

Author: bors[bot]

rfcs/0000-voting-majority.md

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+This RFC proposes updating our voting guidelines to make it easier for
+uncontroversial proposals to be accepted as the number of members in
+the working group grows. Specifically, the number of approving votes
+required will remain 50% of the members for one week, then be decreased
+to 33% for two weeks, and then if no concerns only two approvals by members
+other than the proposer are required for acceptance.
+
+Considerations are also made for notifying working group members of
+outstanding voting issues.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+Currently we require a [voting majority](https://github.com/rust-embedded/wg/blob/master/rfcs/0136-teams.md#voting-majority)
+consisting of more approvals than abstensions and zero unresolved concerns.
+In other words, we currently require approval from more than 50% of the
+current membership of the concerned team.
+
+At present several issues have been difficult to pass, not because of any
+concerns raised but because our membership has grown and therefore so too has
+the number of required votes. See for example issues #172, #187, #190.
+
+Several members have commented that they do not want their lack of voting
+to block an issue, but they are just not interested in every outstanding
+issue or do not have time to give them all detailed consideration.
+
+We would like to be able to pass sub-group and working-group votes quickly
+where they are reasonably uncontroversial, without having to chase up many
+members to give a perfunctory vote.
+
+# Detailed design
+[design]: #detailed-design
+
+## Majority
+
+For the first week after an issue is opened, the current 50% threshold remains
+in place. Votes which receive sufficient approvals can be accepted as usual.
+
+After one week has passed, the threshold is reduced to 33%, and remains at 33%
+for two weeks. There must still be zero unresolved concerns; but only 33% of
+the members need to approve for a proposal to be accepted.
+
+After those two weeks have passed (three weeks in total), two approvals from
+members who are not the propser will permit a vote to be accepted, so long as
+there are no unresolved concerns. A member is explicitly permitted to raise a
+concern that there are not sufficient approvals or an issue has not received
+sufficient attention and thereby block it from being accepted until that
+concern is addressed.
+
+## Notifying Members
+
+At each weekly meeting, outstanding votes will be identified, and members
+present at the meeting reminded to consider voting. It is the responsibiltiy
+of the proposer to ensure the vote is listed on a meeting's agenda. Weeks
+where a vote is not listed on a meeting's agenda will not count towards
+reducing the required voting threshold.
+
+By notifying members of outstanding votes at the weekly meetings, it is hoped
+that every member will have sufficient time to consider whether they have
+concerns over a specific vote. If the full three weeks elapses with no concerns
+raised, we conclude no members have concerns.
+
+## Self Voting
+
+We clarify that members may approve their own proposals in order to help reach
+the required majority, but such votes will not be sufficient alone to accept a
+proposal, and at least two approvals by members other than the proposer will
+always be required to accept a proposal.
+
+# Alternatives
+
+## Status Quo
+
+We could maintain the current system, perhaps just adding the reminder emails
+to attempt to collect sufficient voting majorities.
+
+## Different Thresholds
+
+The 33% number could be changed to 25%, or could be 33% for one week and then
+25% for the second week.
+
+## Longer Timespans
+
+We could increase the two-week 33% period to three weeks or longer.
+
+## No Small Approvals
+
+We could omit the final stage where any number of approvals accepts a vote,
+always requiring at least the 33% (or 25%) majority.
+
+## No Self Voting
+
+At the moment the voting majority rules implicitly permit self voting. We could
+explicitly prohibit this instead.