Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!math.lsa.umich.edu!emv
From: emv@math.lsa.umich.edu (Edward Vielmetti)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: mercy rule
Message-ID: <EMV.90Feb17050219@duby.math.lsa.umich.edu>
Date: 17 Feb 90 10:02:19 GMT
Sender: news@math.lsa.umich.edu
Organization: University of Michigan Math Dept., Ann Arbor MI.
Lines: 32


I propose a mercy rule for new group creation, designed to kick
in when the vote is non-controversial and overwhelmingly positive.
This will let deserving groups be created more quickly and with
less fuss, while preserving the existing structure for most groups.

Discussion period is unchanged, though there need not be a "formal"
call for discussion.  Evidence of two weeks worth of rumor and
innuendo would be enough.

Call for votes is still "formal", i.e. gets cleared through 
news.announce.newgroups.

The vote can be ended at any time with the following strict conditions
(subject to haggling of course over the details):

	- minimum 200 more yes votes than no (100)
	- 20 times as many yes votes than no (2)
	- no more than 20 no votes (unlimited)
	- vote may end in 5 days (21)

So a vote of 216 to 5 could be ended 8 days into the voting
period because it's obvious what the outcome would be.  On
the other hand a vote of 236 to 25 is likely to be more 
controversial and should wait out the whole period.

I don't know if any of the votes up to now would have been
called by the mercy rule, though if it had been in place
the debacles of alt.fusion and comp.sys.next/alt.next
could have been avoided.

--Ed