ICANN Board Geographic Restrictions Take Effect, North American Candidates Denied Nomination

At ICANN 82, the ICANN Nominating Committee (NomCom) confirmed that North American candidate applications have been politely rejected due to geographic restrictions. The decision means that despite three vacancies on the ICANN Board, North American applicants will not be nominated.

Geographic Restrictions Triggered, North American Candidates Missed the Board

NomCom Chair-Elect Tom Barrett explained to the GNSO Council at the meeting that ICANN's Bylaws clearly state that no more than five voting members from the same geographic region may serve on the Board (excluding the CEO). Currently, three North American members serve on the Board, and the recent election of Canadian Byron Holland to the ccNSO and American Greg DiBiase to the GNSO brings the number of North American members to the cap.

Barrett said that when the NomCom opened the application window on January 15 this year, there was no geographical restriction, but with the change in the election results, the committee now has to adjust the candidate qualification criteria. He revealed that all North American candidates who have submitted applications will receive an email notification informing them that they are no longer eligible due to geographical restrictions.

Dual nationality candidates still have a chance

However, NomCom also pointed out that some candidates may still have the opportunity to reapply. Candidates who have North American identity but also hold citizenship in other regions can choose to apply for a board seat with their other citizenship.

This decision has sparked discussions in the industry. ICANN's geographical balance rules are designed to ensure that board members are globally representative, but they may also result in some high-quality candidates being excluded due to geographical restrictions. Critics believe that this mechanism may limit ICANN's flexibility in selecting board members according to their best abilities, while supporters believe that this is an important guarantee for maintaining the balance of global Internet governance.

This incident also made the outside world pay attention to whether ICANN will adjust its geographical restriction rules in the future to adapt to the changing global Internet governance landscape. In recent years, the balance between ICANN's geographical representation and professional competence has been a focus of community discussion. It remains to be seen whether the board nomination rules will change in the future with the possible revision of ICANN's Bylaws.