 | This is aninformation page. It is neither anencyclopedia article nor one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels ofconsensus andvetting. |
In general, Wikipedia operates based onconsensus, andvoting is discouraged as a method of settling content disputes (though well-designedsurveys can be useful to gauge and develop consensus). However, in order to fill certain specific functions in the community, there are a few instances in which we use or have usedelections to select individuals for particular positions.
Members of theArbitration Committee areelected annually in the first week of December. Arbitrators currently serve two year terms, meaning only about half of the seats on the committee are open in each election. The committee may alsocall interim elections in extraordinary circumstances – but this has only happened once, for the first election in June 2004.
The first twelve arbitrators weredirectly appointed by Jimmy Wales in December 2003. The first regular election took place in December 2004 and has been held annually thereafter. Historically, Arbitration Committee elections were considered advisory and arbitrators were still formally appointed by Wales. He had stopped doing thisby 2017 and his 'reserve powers' over the committee were formallyremoved by the community in 2023.
Administrator elections is an in-development process by which theWikipedia community decides who will becomeadministrators through a secret ballot vote. It is an alternative toRequests for Adminship that replaces the consensus process with a direct vote. A trial election occurred in October 2024, resulting in 11 out of 32 candidates on the ballot being granted adminship after achieving the necessary 70% support.
The coordinator of theAssociation of Members' Advocates (AMA) was the first elected position on Wikipedia. Two elections were held:one in 2004 andone in 2006. The group was wound down in 2007.
TheMediation Committee, which was createdat the same time as the Arbitration Committee but isnow defunct, was not elected. It did elect achairperson internally.
TheAudit Subcommittee (AUSC) of the Arbitration Committee heldan election for community members in October 2009 before switching todirect appointments from 2011 onwards.
Checkuser andoversight permissions are handled by theArbitration Committee. In 2009 and 2010 the committee tried direct elections for the selection of checkusers and oversighters. There were three such elections:
Due to the lack of positions filled in the May 2010 election, the committeereverted to appointing checkusers and oversighters directly, following a period of community consultation.