Wikipedia:Consensus polling

A flowchart describing the process of a consensus poll.

Consensus polling is a method of adducing consensus for a given proposal, using a structured polling method which can easily indicate how many people are in support of a proposal, and how many people are not yet in support of a proposal. A consensus poll is not a vote, that is there are no winners or losers; rather a consensus poll is a measure of approval.

A consensus poll involves four main parts: a static contract, a dynamic plan, an approval meter, and a public forum.

How consensus polls work

A consensus poll begins when a static contract is laid down setting out the requirements for the poll to succeed. A dynamic plan (proposal) is then formulated, which can be changed at any time by the participants in the poll. If a participant in the poll approves of the proposal, then they show their approval by indicating "yes". However, if a participant in the poll does not approve of the proposal, then they indicate that with "not yet".

Once a specified number of people approve of the proposal, then the poll enters the "go state". If a poll remains in the "go state" for a specified length of time, then the proposal succeeds. If not enough people support the proposal, then the poll is in the "stop state".

Static contract

Example static contract

• eligibility: all registered users
• participation threshold: at least 50 people
• consensus threshold: 90%
• cloture threshold: 80%
• "go timer": 7 days

Other conditions:

• This poll only becomes meaningful if the minimum conditions above are met; failure to reach these conditions should not be construed as making a statement of any kind.

The static contract is a document set out at the beginning of a poll, which describes the requirements that the poll must satisfy in order to succeed. The static contract must include:

participation threshold

the minimum number of people who must participate in the poll for it to succeed.

consensus threshold

the minimum level of approval required for the poll to enter the "go" state. It is usually a high number such as 80% or 90%. If the level of approval drops below the consensus threshold, then the poll goes out of the "go" state.

"go timer"

the amount of time that must elapse between a poll entering the "go" state and successfully concluding. If the dynamic plan is changed during this time, then the go timer is reset.

The static contract can include other conditions as required.

For example, if a poll had a static contract set a participation threshold of 50, a consensus threshold of 90% and a "go timer" value of 72 hours, then for the poll to succeed, at least 50 people would need to participate, with at least 90% of them supporting the proposal for at least 72 hours with no change to the dynamic plan.

The static contract cannot be changed once the poll has started (once people have begun to participate in the poll). The only way to have a contract with other conditions is to start a new consensus poll. Note however that a poll that lacks solid requirements (for example, if it has a low consensus threshold) is unlikely to attract enough participants to be successful.

Dynamic plan

The dynamic plan contains the proposal which is being considered by the poll. The plan is dynamic because it can be edited to suit the needs of the participants. Rather than providing a set of alternatives from which participants must choose, as a simple vote does, a consensus poll involves a single proposal and encourages participants to alter it where needed to suit their needs.

The dynamic plan can be locked in, if necessary, by use of a cloture poll. This is a simple vote by which participants in the consensus poll can vote on a specific version of the proposal to be locked in. A cloture poll can only be held if the approval meter is above the consensus threshold, and is used to lock down the proposal if participants are edit warring over it at the eleventh hour (continually resetting the "go timer" by editing the plan just before the timer runs out, also called filibustering).

The level of approval required to lock in a version of the proposal is specified in the static contract, and is commonly a slightly lower value than the consensus threshold.

Approval meter

Example approval meter

Yes: 11, not yet: 5
Approval: 68%

Hans Meier	yes
John Doe	not yet
Pepe Pérez	yes

The acceptance meter is a continually updated tally of how many participants in the poll approve of the proposal (those who have voted "yes") and how many do not approve yet (those who have voted "not yet"), expressed as a percentage. A participant can change their vote at any time.

Public forum

The forum allows for participants in the poll, along with non-participants, to discuss any reservations they have about the proposal. Each participant who has set their vote to "not yet" is encouraged to articulate their concerns about the proposal in the forum. Each participant who has set their vote to "yes" is encouraged to help address the concerns of other participants.

Conducting a poll

To begin a new consensus poll, follow the steps below.

Create the poll's main page

Use the form below to create the main page for the poll. Replace "TITLE" with a meaningful name for the poll. The form will pre-load a template poll, which does not need editing at this stage. Simply save the page, and proceed to the next step.

Create the static contract

The second step is to create the static contract. On the main page for your poll, you should see a box on the right hand side with the title "Static contract". Use the form in that box to start the contract. The form will pre-load a template contract; simply alter the existing values or add values of your own as desired. When you are finished, save the page, and proceed to the next step.

Create the approval meter

The third step is to create the approval meter. On the main page for your poll, you should see a box on the right hand side with the title "Approval meter". Use the form in that box to start the meter. The form will pre-load a template; simply save the page, and proceed to the next step.

Add yourself as a participant (optional)

If you want to participate in the poll, then you should add yourself as a participant. Follow the instructions under the "Approval" section of the poll's main page.

Begin the dynamic plan (optional)

You do not have to start the dynamic plan immediately. If you want to, then follow the red link under the "Proposal" section of the poll's main page.

List the consensus poll below

Once you have finished setting up your consensus poll, add it to the list in the section below, "Current polls".

Current polls

A list of current polls appears below:

External links

• Very active current (June 2007) applications of Consensus Polling
• consensuspolling.org
• meatball:ConsensusPolling
• ICANNWiki: Consensus Poll