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Democracy in OPGO

OPGO has been set up from the very start to be a democratic and representative organisation. You cannot be representative unless you are democratic!

OPGO being a web based organisation has on-line voting and discussion as the basis of our democracy as defined in our Constitution with the Organisation Rules defining how the democracy works. The on-line voting and discussion is held on the forum. Meeting Minutes and Agendas are posted up on the wiki in the Members pages, and we use the wiki to collaboratively work on documents and letters. All Members have the right to start votes, though we ask that you look to see what votes are running and try to come to an agreement with the 'other side' on wording for a vote.

We have annual votes on Committee positions.

We have regular Open Meetings (and Committee Meetings) that any Members can attend to discuss their opinions, or to offer to help with OPGO work. These meetings allow up 16 people to attend, and are done via VOIP, so you need to have a headset with a microphone (plus computer) in order to contribute.

Being web based means we can involve the Membership in discussion and votes on policy, and avoid relying on an Annual General Meeting to determine policy and direction. This means our policy is under constant review - which we call the OPGO Policy Review. As we grow we know that the majority view on certain issues may change with time.

From the Organisation Rules:

On-line (Web) voting

Straw Polls: If there is substantial opposition to a Committee action, the Committee shall take a straw poll of the Membership, via Forum voting, to gauge opinion. The wording of the poll should be discussed between the Committee Member(s) most involved in the proposal and the most vocal opponents to decide the wording of the poll. The Committee should chose to amend their action based on the results of the poll, but can require a further vote to take place to confirm the opinion of the membership.

Policy Voting: A minimum of three Committee Members, or a minimum of ten Members, will be able to request an on-line vote and to present the wording of a resolution. The Committee will be responsible for announcing the vote and give a reasonable time for discussion and voting to take place. The vote on the Resolution shall remain open for voting for a minimum of fourteen days. The requirements for a successful vote shall be a simple majority of those voting. There shall be a reasonable time between votes on the same issue.

 
As a voluntary organisation we rely on Members taking an active role in helping out and contributing what they can of their time and abilities, and we have a Volunteers section on the Forum.

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Add a plus sign ( + ) before a term to indicate that the term must appear in results. Example: +wiki forum will find objects containing at least wiki. Objects with both terms and many occurences of the terms will appear first.

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