The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is an international non-profit corporation formed to manage the domain name and IP address system, which allows data to reach its correct destination on the Internet. ICANN consists of a board of directors, three Supporting Organizations, several advisory committes and an At Large membership.

• ICANN organizational chart
• History of ICANN's formation
• Current Board Members

A. ICANN Board Elections

There are nineteen seats on ICANN's board of directors. Nine are selected by the technical, business and non-profit groups that participate in ICANN's Supporting Organizations. Nine are elected by the At-Large membership of individual stakeholders around the world. And one President/CEO is appointed by the board.

9 At Large Directors elected by the At Large membership

9 Directors chosen by the Supporting Organizations (3 Directors each):

(3) Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO)
(3) Address Supporting Organization (ASO)
(3) Protocol Supporting Organization (PSO)

1 President and CEO
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19 Directors

• How was the Election Process Developed?
• At Large election process
• Supporting Organizations election process

B. Names Council and General Assembly Elections

Besides the board elections, several other elections take place within ICANN to fill leadership positions within the Supporting Organizations. Each of the three Supporting Organizations has a Council whose role is to build consensus among their members on key issues and to recommend policies to the ICANN board. Each Supporting Organization has created its own process for electing these Council members.

Within the Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO), the General Assembly holds elections to appoint a Chair.

• Address Council, Names Council, Protocol Council elections
• General Assembly elections

CDT-Common Cause Study

ICANN's Global Elections: On the Internet, For the Internet: A Study of the ICANN At-Large Elections [html] .pdf [140k]