Fall board elections: How to participate
Dear community,
Sugar Labs will be running an election this fall for three seats to its board of directors for the 2026–2027 term. Sugar Labs community members are encouraged to participate.
This fall, Sugar Labs is running an election for three seats on the board of directors. These seats are currently held by board members Walter Bender, Claudia Urrea, and Samson Goddy.
Receive your ballot
We encourage you to vote. The application to receive your ballot, due by the end of day on December 19, 2025, is here: https://forms.gle/2F5PjLHZpzPq2ssL7.
Your ballot application will be used to determine Sugar Labs membership eligibility, which is the only qualification needed to vote. If you have made contributions to Sugar Labs within the past year, you are likely eligible to be a member and therefore eligible to vote in this election.
Running for a board position
For those of you who would like to run for a board position, you will need to add your name and statement to the list on https://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Oversight_Board/2026-2027-candidates. If you need any technical assistance with the wiki, please contact elections@sugarlabs.org.
Candidates should create a wiki entry, one entry per candidate, with a maximum length of 1500 characters sharing their vision and motivation. Candidates should also read and understand the terms of the Sugar Labs Inc.'s Bylaws, as well as any domestic and international laws governing participation in a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit board.
Election timeline
The timeline of the election is planned as follows, with a deadline to receive combined membership and ballot applications for the end of day on December 19, 2025, and a deadline to vote for the end of day on January 10, 2026.
| Stage | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stage I | December 1 | Announcement of election date and first call for candidates. |
| Stage II | December 19 | Deadline to receive candidacy applications and candidate bios; and deadline to receive combined membership and ballot applications. |
| Stage III | December 27 | Ballots to be sent by email; if you do not receive your ballot by the following day, please email elections@sugarlabs.org. |
| Stage IV | January 10 | Deadline to vote. |
| Stage V | January 15 | Election results announced. |
This election is being run by Safwan Sayeed. We welcome volunteers to assist in running our elections; please email volunteering@sugarlabs.org if you are interested in volunteering.
Again, you are encouraged to take the first step and apply for a ballot via our application form, and we look forward to your involvement.
Best wishes,
Safwan Sayeed, Maintainer at Sugar Labs
Note: This announcement has also been published on the Sugar Labs website: https://www.sugarlabs.org/news/all/fall-board-elections-2025-how-to-participate.