GNSO Council Stakeholder Group Leaders Constituency Leaders Subject: Website Tools to Assist with Voting Remedies due to Abstentions, Absences, and Vacancies Staff has just completed development of two new website tools to help Councilors, SGs, and Constituencies navigate the new GNSO voting remedy procedures related to abstentions, absences and vacancies. They are: 1) Abstentions Procedures Visual Map: A color graphic depicting the steps required to exercise voting remedies due to abstentions, absences, and vacancies; and 2) GNSO Council Abstention Notification Form: An on-line form to be completed by an SG/C officer notifying the GNSO Secretariat of an intention to execute a voting remedy related to a declared abstention. Both of these tools can be accessed from: http://gnso.icann.org/council/docs.html (see Abstentions Guidelines for the direct links). Descriptions/Directions: The Visual Map is an attempt to describe the conditions/steps required to exercise a voting remedy of which there are three types: (a) voting direction, (b) proxy, and (c) temporary alternate. You'll notice that icons have been added in key places which, when moused-over, will pop-up additional explanations consistent with the actual procedures (http://gnso.icann.org/council/gnso-op-procedures-05aug10-en.pdf). At the bottom of the map, the block labeled "Abstentions Notification Form" (see curved red lines) is a hyperlink to the online form, so that users do not have to back-up to the preceding page. We will be adding an instruction at the top of the form to make it clear that this form is to be completed ONLY by a SG or Constituency officer. It is NOT completed by an individual Councilor. Once submitted, the online form will automatically be forwarded to the Secretariat with a confirmation to the sender. Given the need to begin using these tools as early as the upcoming meeting on 26 August, there was only time to perform limited testing. As a result, there may be additional "tweaks" needed as we gain experience with the new procedures. Staff remains open to any/all comments or suggestions that you may have on either tool. For anyone who intends to utilize these new procedures for the upcoming Council meeting and would like assistance with the emails/forms, please do not hesitate to contact Ken Bour [ken.bour@verizon.net; 703-430-4059]. Thanks, Liz Gasster