NumFOCUS is a community-led organization, and the election of the Board of Directors reflects this core principle. Each election cycle provides an opportunity for individuals across the NumFOCUS ecosystem to participate directly in the governance of the organization—by nominating candidates, standing for election, or casting votes.
This page provides an overview of how the NumFOCUS Board election is administered.
To ensure a structured, transparent, and fair process, the NumFOCUS Board charters a volunteer-led Election Committee to plan and execute each election cycle. The Committee is responsible for administering the nomination, review, ballot formation, and voting procedures in an unbiased and inclusive manner. The NumFOCUS Board maintains oversight of the Committee’s work and provides final approval of procedures, nominees, and election results.
Election Committee members are volunteers drawn from across the NumFOCUS community. Their work is guided by the organization’s core values:
- Inclusivity – Building a welcoming, friendly community
- Transparency – Fostering collaboration through open access
- Curiosity – Encouraging learning and scientific inquiry
- Collaboration – Bringing together diverse voices for stronger ideas
The Committee operates under a formal charter approved by the NumFOCUS Board.
While specific dates vary each year, the NumFOCUS Board election follows a consistent sequence of phases:
The election opens with a public call for nominations. Any community member may nominate themselves or someone else. Nominees are invited to complete an application designed to gather information about their experience, interests, and motivations.
The Election Committee reviews all eligible applications using a standardized rubric to ensure fairness, consistency, and alignment with NumFOCUS values. A blind review process is used for portions of the evaluation prior to Board consideration.
After completing its review, the Committee makes ballot recommendations to the NumFOCUS Board, which approves the final slate of candidates.
Eligible voters register individually. Eligible groups include:
- Sponsored Projects
- Affiliated Projects
- Committee Officers
- Event Chairs
- Administrative Board
Votes are weighted to reflect different stakeholder groups. For example, Sponsored Projects receive three total votes, divided proportionally among all registered representatives from that project. This ensures consistent vote allocation while allowing multiple individuals to participate.
Voting is conducted through OpaVote, a secure platform used for community elections. Because weighted voting assigns fractional values to ballots, full voter anonymity is not technically possible; however, access to raw voting data is restricted to members of the Election Committee and a small number of NumFOCUS staff for the sole purpose of calculating and verifying results.
The Election Committee compiles and verifies results, which are then reviewed and validated by the NumFOCUS Board.
Once validated, results are communicated to nominees and published publicly. Elected Board members serve a two-year term, with the option to renew for an additional two years.
NumFOCUS is committed to transparency in its governance processes. Updates about the election cycle are shared through official NumFOCUS communication channels, including blog posts, mailing lists, and community forums.
The Election Committee regularly refines and improves processes—such as updating nominee questionnaires, enhancing review rubrics, and clarifying documentation—to ensure that each election supports fairness, accessibility, and informed participation.
NumFOCUS periodically reviews its governance structures, including the Board election process, to ensure they continue to meet the needs of the community and reflect best practices in nonprofit governance. Community feedback and involvement play an important role in these ongoing improvements.
The election process is made possible through the efforts of the volunteer members of the Election Committee, the NumFOCUS Board of Directors, and the staff who support election administration. NumFOCUS extends its thanks to everyone who nominates, applies, votes, and participates in strengthening community governance.