Python Software Foundation (PSF) Board elections are a chance for the community to choose representatives to help the PSF create a vision for and build the future of the Python community. This year, there are 4 seats open on the PSF Board. Check out who is currently on the PSF Board on our website. (Cheuk Ting Ho, Christopher Neugebauer, Denny Perez, and Georgi Ker are at the end of their current terms.)
The recent approval of the Packaging Council (PC) through PEP 772 means that the PC election will be held in parallel to the PSF Board election. For the first PC election, communications will be published on the PSF blog. Once the first PC has been established, they will define the standard lines of communication and more PC election process specifics for the future. More information on the PC election coming soon.
Board Election Timeline
- Nominations open: Tuesday, July 28th, 2:00 pm UTC
- Nomination cut-off: Tuesday, August 11th, 2:00 pm UTC
- Announce candidates: Thursday, August 13th
- Voter affirmation cut-off: Tuesday, August 25th, 2:00 pm UTC
- Voting start date: Tuesday, September 1st, 2:00 pm UTC
- Voting end date: Tuesday, September 15th, 2:00 pm UTC
Voting
You must be a Contributing, Supporting, or Fellow member by August 25th and affirm your intention to vote to participate in this election. Reminder: If you were formerly a Managing member, your membership type was changed to Contributing per 2024’s Bylaw change that merged Managing and Contributing memberships.
Check out the PSF membership page to learn more about membership classes and benefits. You can affirm your voting intention by following the steps in our video tutorial:
- Log in to psfmember.org
- Choose “Your Memberships” page at the top right to check your eligibility to vote (You must be a Contributing, Supporting, or Fellow member)
- Choose “Voting Affirmation” page at the top right
- Select your preferred intention for voting in 2026 (which now includes a second affirmation regarding your intention to vote in the PC election)
- Click the “Submit” button
Per another recent Bylaw change that allows for simplifying the voter affirmation process by treating past voting activity as intent to continue voting, if you voted last year, you will automatically be added to the 2026 voter roll. Please note that if you removed or changed your email on psfmember.org, you may not automatically be added to this year's voter roll.
If you have questions about membership, please email psf-elections@pyfound.org.
Election communications from psfmember.org
PSF Members should review their communication preferences on psfmember.org if you would like to opt in or out of receiving emails about either the PSF Board, PC elections, or both. Here’s how:
- Login to https://psfmember.org/
- Navigate to your “Profile” page
- Click the “Name and Address” tab
- Scroll down, designate your preferences
- Click submit
If you had previously opted out of communications from the PSF through psfmember.org and would like to start receiving them, we encourage you to update them using the instructions above. If you're not sure what how your psfmember.org communication preferences are currently set, you can check via the "Name and Address" tab mentioned above, and make any adjustments as desired.
The PSF only sends a handful of election and fundraising related communications every year via psfmember.org. The PSF newsletter runs through a separate mailing list (and we heartily welcome you to sign up for our newsletter!).
Run for the Board
Who runs for the board? People who care about the Python community, who want to see it flourish and grow, and also have a few hours a month to attend regular meetings, serve on committees, participate in conversations, and promote the Python community. We're looking for candidates with a diverse range of skills and backgrounds, including leadership experience, fundraising knowledge, non-profit familiarity, and event organizing. Technical expertise, a record of collaboration, and experience speaking or teaching in the Python community are also all qualities we hope to see in Board members.
Want to learn more about being on the PSF Board? Check out the following resources to learn more about the PSF, as well as what being a part of the PSF Board entails:
- Life as Python Software Foundation Director video on YouTube
- FAQs About the PSF Board video on YouTube
- Our past few Annual Impact Reports:
You can nominate yourself or someone else. If you're nominating someone else, we'd encourage you to reach out to them first to make sure they're excited about the opportunity and give them a heads up that they'll need to submit their own nomination statement too. Nominations open on Tuesday, July 28th, 2:00 pm UTC, so you have time to talk with potential nominees, research the role, and craft a nomination statement for yourself or others. Take a look at last year’s nomination statements for reference.
Learn more and join the discussion
You are welcome to join the discussion about the PSF Board election on our forum. This year, we’ll also be hosting PSF Board Office Hours on the PSF Discord in July and August to answer questions about running for and serving on the board. Subscribe to the PSF blog or, if you’re a member, join the psf-member-announce mailing list to receive updates leading up to the election.
