Registered Ballot Body Voting and Proxies

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Registered Ballot Body Voting and Proxies

• Reliability Standards

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Registered Ballot Body (RBB) Members

• NERC currently has more than 500 registered RBB
  members

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Balloting Basics

• Each member of the Registered Ballot Body is
  eligible to participate in the voting process
  (and ballot pool) for each standard action.

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Balloting Basics

• Each ballot has its own name to identify the
  standards project and the name of its associated
  ballot pool

Note, a standards project may have more than one
standard included in the project
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RBB Membership

• To vote you must be
• An RBB member (or a proxy voter, not both)
• To be an RBB member you must
• Qualify for one of the stakeholder segments
  approved by the Board of Trustees,
• Register with NERC as potential ballot
  participants in the voting on standards, and
• Be current with any designated fees

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RBB Membership Segments

• The RBB comprises all organizations and entities
  that are
• Qualified as one of the segments
• Segment 1 Transmission Owners
• Segment 2 RTOs/ISOs
• Segment 3 Load-Serving Entities
• Segment 4 Transmission Dependent Utilities
• Segment 5 Electric Generators
• Segment 6 Electricity Brokers, Aggregators, and
  Marketers
• Segment 7 Large Electricity End Users
• Segment 8 Small Electricity Users
• Segment 9 Federal, State, and Provincial
  Regulatory or other Government Entities
• Segment 10 Regional Reliability Organizations
  and Regional Entities

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RBB Membership and Registration

• RBB membership allows you to vote
• Registration provides a user name and password
  and allows access to the balloting system
• The Standards Home Page has a Register link to
  initiate this process

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RBB Membership and Registration

• RBB members must log on to the online balloting
  system (Standards Information Management System,
  SIMS) and
• Join each ballot pool in which the member wants
  to vote

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Sample of ballot pools
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Ballot Pools

• NERC provides e-mail announcements to notify RBB
  members when ballot pools will be open and closed
• RBB members must be sure to join each and every
  ballot pool in which the member wants to cast a
  vote

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Ballot Pool Formation

• Ballot pools are formed for each different
  standards development project and are given a
  related name
• When a ballot pool is forming, the ballot pool is
  open, and its name is listed under the Ballot
  Pools link in the system
• RBB members can only
• Join a ballot pool when the ballot pool is open
• Set proxy voting assignments when the ballot pool
  is open

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Ballot Pools that are Closed

• RBB members cannot
• Join a closed ballot pool
• Change the voting or proxy assignment when ballot
  pool is closed

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RBB Voting

• RBB members are only allowed to cast one vote per
  ballot pool
• RBB members can designate one proxy voter per
  ballot pool
• RBB members proxy voter is only allowed to cast
  one vote per ballot pool

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Proxy Registration Past, Present

• The past process for assigning a proxy voter
  required live interaction with NERC staff
• The current balloting software (SIMS) is
  Web-based and requires RBB members and proxy
  voters to register AND use the system
• Use includes registration, joining ballot
  pools, delegating proxy functions, voting

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Proxy Registration

• To be a proxy voter
• Stakeholders must be registered with a user name
  and password
• The Standards Home Page has a Register link to
  initiate this process

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Proxy Registration

• The Web-based process requires
• The RBB member to register for the specific
  ballot pool in order to delegate the members
  proxy function
• The proxy voter to register as a proxy voter
  (registration as a proxy voter only needed once
  not tied to specific ballot pools)
• The RBB member to designate while the ballot pool
  is open a proxy voter to cast the one ballot

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Proxy Voting RBB Member Functions

• The Web-based system only allows
• Registered participants to be EITHER an RBB
  member or a proxy voter
• The RBB member to register once for each specific
  ballot pool when it is open
• The RBB member to delegate one vote to one proxy
  voter per ballot pool when a ballot pool is open

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Proxy Voting RBB Member Functions

• If an RBB member cannot not find the name of the
  desired proxy voter while trying to delegate the
  voting privilege, either
• The proxy voter has not registered as a proxy
  voter
• Another RBB member has selected that proxy
  voter
• NERC staff rejected the proxy voter due to
  uncertainty about valid stakeholder identification

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Proxy Voting Proxy Functions

• A proxy voter
• Can only register once as a proxy voter (only
  needed once, not tied to specific ballot pools)
• Can only be selected by one RBB member per ballot
  pool
• Can only vote once per ballot pool
• Can only vote on ballots where the voter is
  assigned as a proxy voter

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Proxy Voters May Not

• Join ballot pools on their own
• Assign themselves to ballot pools
• Transfer their proxy voting privilege to another
  proxy voter

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Proxy Voters May

• Register as proxy voters
• Log on to the system and access the ballot pool
  if an RBB member has selected delegated voting to
  that proxy voter
• Cast a proxy vote on behalf of an RBB member in
  the specific ballot pool where an RBB member
  established such delegation
• Transfer voting privilege back to the RBB member
  when a ballot pool is open

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Detailed Instructions

• Detailed instructions are available on the NERC
  Standards Home Page

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Comments and Questions

• If you have comments on improving this
  presentation, please contact Suzanna Strangmeier
  at Suzanna.Strangmeier_at_nerc.net
• If you have questions about RBB or proxy voting,
  please contact Barbara Bogenrief at
  Barbara.Bogtenrief_at_nerc.net