Member Apathy in .uk Already? Uncontested Election Leaves Members Disillusioned!

Election Landslide! All incumbents Shoo-In for Victory with No Competitors in Sight!

Updated Wednesday 3 May 17:00.

Earlier today, Nominet confirmed what DomainCrawls had reported yesterday: there will be no voting for the four open positions on the Nominet .UK Registry Advisory Council, also known as UKRAC. The only candidates who chose to stand were the incumbents, and no one else, resulting in an uncontested election for all four positions on the council!

After mutual agreement, the two candidates vying for the large registrar segment have determined their respective terms. Wickham has opted for a one-year term, although entitled to another two-year term, while Greinann will serve for two years. Greinann was co-opted to the council in November 2022 so has yet to actually be elected to the council. Wickham's decision to choose a one-year term may suggest that he anticipates a bleak future for the UKRAC.

Tuesday 2 May 2023, 07:00.

In a remarkable turn of events, DomainCrawls has learned from insiders that the upcoming election for councillors of the Nominet .UK Registry Advisory Council or UKRAC as it is more commonly called will be uncontested! That's right folks - none of the four positions that were up for election will be voted on, leaving some members feeling disappointed and disengaged with the whole process. Only incumbent councillors decided to stand, meaning they will all see their paid positions automatically extended for a further one or two years.

According to an email seen here at DomainCrawls, "Members of the UKRAC receive a per diem payment of £500 for participation at each formal UKRAC meeting." Nominet's own web site suggests that the role of a council member should afford time to cover "4-6 half day meetings a year + reviewing materials".

The lack of competition has raised concerns about the candidate's ability to serve as effective councillors. Without any opposition, there is no way to gauge whether they are truly the best candidates for the job.

Members of the council are Andrew Bennett and Dan Rogers, both from the small to mid size registrar segment, Robert Taylor and Ciprian Cucuruz, both from the secondary market registrar segment and Volker Greinann and Rex Wickham, both from the large registrar segment. Greinann was co-opted to the council in November 2022 after absolutely no candidate in the large registrar segment wanted to stand, so has yet to actually be elected to the council by the members it was supposedly setup to serve. Greinann's uncontested position may be further exacerbated by the fact that he came last out of three in another election for a position on the board of the same company in October last year.

"This is just ridiculous," said one member who wished to remain anonymous. "How can we have confidence in someone who hasn't even had to prove themselves in an election?"

Nominet UKRAC councillors have been approached for comment.

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