Voices for Wannon’s candidate selection process is guided by a dedicated selection committee formed through open nominations from within the group’s membership. The committee operates on a consensus decision-making model and is responsible for evaluating candidates and overseeing the selection process.
All members of the community are invited to become members of Voices for Wannon by paying a token membership fee of $20, which grants eligibility to participate in the candidate selection process. In 2022, all members were invited to attend a candidate selection event where shortlisted candidates presented their vision and answered questions from attendees. For these deliberative events, such as town halls and kitchen conversations, majority voting was used to determine the preferred candidate.
In the 2022 process, only one candidate, Alex Dyson, was shortlisted, as other applicants were not deemed sufficiently qualified. Dyson was endorsed through this process and, for the 2025 election, was offered the group’s support again without requiring a new candidate selection process. This approach reflects the group’s emphasis on direct community involvement and deliberative decision-making.

Voices for Wannon’s candidate selection process demonstrates a strong commitment to community involvement, but there are several areas where greater clarity and transparency would enhance confidence in its fairness and inclusivity.

Selection Committee
The selection committee was formed through open nominations from within the Voices for Wannon membership, but key details about this process are unclear. For example, it is not evident how diverse the membership base is in terms of demographics or how widely the opportunity to respond to nominations was advertised. Without this information, it is difficult to assess whether the committee composition truly reflects the electorate. Additionally, while the committee employs a consensus decision-making model, the specifics of how this operates in practice remain unexplained.

Membership Accessibility
The group invites community members to join Voices for Wannon for a $20 fee, making them eligible to participate in the selection process. However, there is limited information about how this opportunity is advertised, how membership rates have grown over time, or whether the fee creates a financial barrier for participation. These factors could influence the inclusivity of the candidate selection process.

Candidate Shortlisting in 2022
The 2022 selection process raises several questions. The group notes that only one candidate, Alex Dyson, was shortlisted because other applicants were deemed “not sufficiently qualified.” However, it is unclear how many candidates applied, what criteria were used to evaluate their qualifications, and how decisions to exclude applicants were made. The lack of transparency about the shortlisting process makes it difficult to understand why Dyson was the only candidate deemed suitable. Furthermore, the group’s language about “candidates” versus “one shortlisted candidate” adds to the confusion.

Advertising and Outreach
Voices for Wannon has not provided specific details about how the opportunity to apply as a candidate was advertised or whether efforts were made to ensure broad outreach to diverse communities. Without this information, it is unclear how accessible the process was to a wide range of potential candidates.

Participatory Voting
While the group mentions the use of majority voting in participatory events such as town halls and kitchen conversations, there is no clarity on how this was implemented or whether the participants were representative of the broader community. Feedback mechanisms and their role in decision-making are also not fully explained.

2025 Endorsement
The group’s decision to offer Alex Dyson continued support for the 2025 election without conducting a new selection process raises concerns about entrenching potential biases from the 2022 process. If the original process was not sufficiently robust, relying on its outcomes could perpetuate gaps in fairness or inclusivity.

Conclusion
While Voices for Wannon’s process reflects positive intentions for community-driven decision-making, the lack of transparency around critical stages—including committee formation, candidate evaluation, outreach efforts, and voting mechanisms—limits confidence in its inclusivity and accountability. Addressing these gaps would help ensure the process better reflects and serves the diversity of the electorate.

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