consolidate community role definitions and election process

COMMUNITY_LADDER.md

@@ -29,8 +29,6 @@ We've put this document together with a few key goals in mind:
 
 This guide covers the roles and responsibilities for everyone who contributes to the Dragonfly open source project. Whether you're writing code, improving documentation, creating tests, or helping in other ways, this is for you.
 
-The roles of Organization Member, Approver, or Maintainer are officially defined in the [Dragonfly Governance](./GOVERNANCE.md) document.
-
 ## General Guidelines
 
 ### Everyone is Welcome
@@ -74,7 +72,7 @@ Here's a quick look at the roles:
 | Role            | Responsibilities                                                       | Qualifications                                                               | Privileges                                                               |
 | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
 | **Contributor** | Follow our Code of Conduct & Contribution Guide                        | Anyone who participates in the community                                     | Can be assigned issues and request reviews                               |
-| **Member**      | Contribute regularly and complete tasks you volunteer for              | A history of successful contributions over 3+ months                         | Trigger CI/CD, review PRs, and recommend others for Member status        |
+| **Member**      | Contribute regularly and complete tasks you volunteer for              | A history of contributions at least three months                             | Trigger CI/CD, review PRs, and recommend others for Member status        |
 | **Approver**    | Review PRs in your area of expertise and maintain quality              | A Member with a solid track record of high-quality reviews                   | Approve PRs in specific areas and recommend others for Approver          |
 | **Maintainer**  | Merge PRs, coordinate releases, and help shape the project's direction | Long-term contributions, leadership, and a deep understanding of the project | Merge code, represent the project publicly, and nominate new Maintainers |
 
@@ -136,14 +134,6 @@ A **Member** is a consistent contributor who is actively involved in the project
   - You can recommend other Contributors to become Members.
   - You can nominate yourself for higher roles as described in our project governance.
 
-- **How to Become a Member**:
-
-The detailed process is placed in our project's [COMMUNITY_MEMBERSHIP.md](COMMUNITY_MEMBERSHIP.md#election-process) document. In summary:
-
-  1. Get nominated by an existing Member, Approver, or Maintainer.
-  2. Document your contribution history and explain why you're a good fit for this role.
-  3. Approval should be given by at least 50% simple majority of existing Approvers and Maintainers.
-
 The current Member list is maintained in the [MEMBERS.md](roles/Members.md) file.
 
 ### Approver
@@ -168,15 +158,7 @@ An **Approver** is a Member who takes ownership of a specific part of the projec
   - You'll have GitHub permissions to approve PRs and manage labels in your specific areas.
   - You can recommend and review other Members for the Approver role.
 
-- **How to Become an Approver**:
-
-  Based on the [Member selection process above](COMMUNITY_MEMBERSHIP.md#election-process), add additional requirements:
-
-  1. Get nominated by an existing Approver or Maintainer.
-  2. Must document your contribution history and explain why you're suitable for this role, while listing the specific areas you want to be responsible for.
-  3. Get approval should be given by at least 50% simple majority of existing Maintainers only.
-
-The current Approver list is maintained in the [APPROVERS.md](roles/Approvers.md) file.
+The current Approver list is maintained in the [Approvers.md](roles/Approvers.md) file.
 
 ### Maintainer
 
@@ -207,13 +189,4 @@ A **Maintainer** is a highly trusted member of the project with the authority to
   - You can represent the project in public.
   - You can nominate new Maintainers.
 
-- **How to Become a Maintainer**:
-
-  Based on the [Member selection process above](COMMUNITY_MEMBERSHIP.md#election-process), add additional requirements:
-
-  1. Must have been an Approver for at least 3 months.
-  2. Demonstrate a strong commitment to the project.
-  3. Get nominated by an existing Maintainer.
-  4. Be approved by a supermajority vote (at least 65% of active Maintainers).
-
-The current Maintainer list is maintained in the [MAINTAINERS.md](roles/Maintainers.md) file.
+The current Maintainer list is maintained in the [Maintainers.md](roles/Maintainers.md) file.

COMMUNITY_MEMBERSHIP.md

@@ -1,17 +1,21 @@
 # Dragonfly Community Membership
 
 - [How We Make Decisions](#how-we-make-decisions)
+  - [Solving Conflicts](#solving-conflicts)
+  - [Handling Abstentions](#handling-abstentions)
 - [Managing Membership](#managing-membership)
-  - [Adding New Member/Approver/Maintainer](#adding-new-memberapprovermaintainer)
+  - [How to Become a Member](#how-to-become-a-member)
+  - [How to Become an Approver](#how-to-become-an-approver)
+  - [How to Become a Maintainer](#how-to-become-a-maintainer)
   - [Removing Inactive Member/Approver/Maintainer](#removing-inactive-memberapprovermaintainer)
   - [Voluntary Departure](#voluntary-departure)
 - [Election Process](#election-process)
-  - [Demonstrating: Adding a New Member](#demonstrating-adding-a-new-member)
-    - [Step 1: Nomination](#step-1-nomination)
-    - [Step 2: Community Discussion](#step-2-community-discussion)
-    - [Step 3: Community Meeting and Voting Initiation](#step-3-community-meeting-and-voting-initiation)
-    - [Step 4: Voting Process](#step-4-voting-process)
-    - [Step 5: Results and Onboarding](#step-5-results-and-onboarding)
+- [Demonstrating: Adding a New Member](#demonstrating-adding-a-new-member)
+  - [Step 1: Nomination](#step-1-nomination)
+  - [Step 2: Community Discussion](#step-2-community-discussion)
+  - [Step 3: Community Meeting and Voting Initiation](#step-3-community-meeting-and-voting-initiation)
+  - [Step 4: Voting Process](#step-4-voting-process)
+  - [Step 5: Results and Onboarding](#step-5-results-and-onboarding)
 
 As a proud member of the CNCF, the Dragonfly project follows the [CNCF Code of Conduct](https://github.com/cncf/foundation/blob/master/code-of-conduct.md).
 
@@ -40,6 +44,18 @@ For the purpose of this document, an "active Maintainer" is defined as a Maintai
 
 Additionally, when we have fewer than seven active Maintainers, we might use a "lazy consensus period" for significant issues. This means that after an issue gets initial approval, we'll hold it for a set amount of time (like 7 days) to give everyone a final chance to discuss it. If no one objects, it can be closed. If issues come up, we'll resolve the concerns and then proceed and move forward.
 
+### Solving Conflicts
+
+In the rare event of a disagreement among Maintainers that can't be resolved through discussion, we will use a voting process to reach a decision. The voting process is as follows:
+
+1. Any Maintainer can call for a vote by creating a new issue in the relevant repository, outlining the conflict and proposed solutions.
+2. All active Maintainers will be notified and given a chance to vote.
+3. The outcome will be determined by a simple majority (more than 50%) of the votes cast.
+
+### Handling Abstentions
+
+If a Maintainer chooses to abstain from voting on a particular issue, their abstention will not count towards the total number of votes cast. The decision will be based solely on the votes of those who actively participate in the voting process.
+
 ## Managing Membership
 
 Our Members (and Maintainers/Approvers) share the responsibility for the project's success. In general, they:
@@ -50,13 +66,35 @@ Our Members (and Maintainers/Approvers) share the responsibility for the project
 
 Members often work hard behind the scenes, and their efforts aren't always visible. While it's easy to get excited about new features, it's just as important—and often more challenging—to handle bug fixes, small improvements, stability optimizations, and all the other foundational work that keeps the project strong.
 
-### Adding New Member/Approver/Maintainer
+### How to Become a Member
+
+Members start out as dedicated contributors who are committed to the long-term success of the project. If you're aspiring to become a Member, you should be actively involved in resolving issues, contributing code, and reviewing proposals and pull requests for at least three months.
+
+Membership is built on trust, and that goes beyond just writing code. You earn the trust of the current Members by consistently acting in the best interest of the project.
+
+New Members are nominated by an existing Approver or Maintainer (through an issue) and need at simple majority vote from the current eligible voters to be approved.
+
+For details on how Members are selected and their terms, see the [Election Process](#election-process).
+
+### How to Become an Approver
+
+Based on the [election process](#election-process), add additional requirements:
+
+1. Get nominated by an existing Approver or Maintainer.
+2. Must document your contribution history and explain why you're suitable for this role, while listing the specific areas you want to be responsible for.
+3. Approval must be given by at simple majority（more than 50%）of current Maintainers only.
+
+For more details on how Approvers are selected and their terms, see the [Election Process](#election-process).
+
+### How to Become a Maintainer
 
-Member/Approver/Maintainer start out as dedicated contributors who are committed to the long-term success of the project. If you're aspiring to become a Member/Approver/Maintainer, you should be actively involved in resolving issues, contributing code, and reviewing proposals and pull requests for at least three months.
+Based on the [election process](#election-process), add additional requirements:
 
-Membership is built on trust, and that goes beyond just writing code. You earn the trust of the current Member/Approver/Maintainer by consistently acting in the best interest of the project.
+1. Must be an existing Approver for at least 3 months.
+2. Get nominated by an existing Maintainer.
+3. Be approved by a supermajority vote (at least 65% of current Maintainers).
 
-New Members are nominated by an existing Member/Approver/Maintainer (through an issue) and need a simple majority vote from the current Maintainers and Approvers to be approved. New Approvers need a simple majority vote from current Maintainers, while new Maintainers need a supermajority vote (at least 65%) from current Maintainers. Similarly, Member/Approver/Maintainer can be removed by appropriate voting thresholds, or they can choose to step down by creating an issue to let any other Member/Approver/Maintainer know. For details on how Member/Approver/Maintainer are selected and their terms, see the [Election Process](#election-process).
+For more details on how Maintainers are selected and their terms, see the [Election Process](#election-process).
 
 ### Removing Inactive Member/Approver/Maintainer
 
@@ -97,7 +135,7 @@ The candidates in the election must explain their past contributions to the proj
 To become a Member, follow these steps:
 
 1. Contributors may create a nomination issue using the [nomination template](./.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/nominate.md) in the community repository.
-2. (Optional) If you are not comfortable creating the nomination issue yourself, you can reach out to an existing Approver or Maintainer to help you with the nomination. The Approver and Maintainer lists can be found in the [APPROVERS.md](roles/Approvers.md) and [MAINTAINERS.md](roles/Maintainers.md) files.
+2. (Optional) If you are not comfortable creating the nomination issue yourself, you can reach out to an existing Approver or Maintainer to help you with the nomination. The Approver and Maintainer lists can be found in the [Approvers.md](roles/Approvers.md) and [Maintainers.md](roles/Maintainers.md) files.
 3. While the nomination issue is open, the community can discuss the nomination in the issue comments.
 4. The nomination issue remains open for 7 days for community discussion and feedback.
 5. The nominee must attend our next bi-weekly community meeting with a quick self-introduction and provide a summary of their contributions.
@@ -144,34 +182,34 @@ Furthermore, to ensure a fair and transparent election process, Dragonfly holds
 
 - **Role List**: The list of current Members, Approvers, and Maintainers is maintained in the [Members.md](roles/Members.md), [Approvers.md](roles/Approvers.md), and [Maintainers.md](roles/Maintainers.md) files respectively.
 
-### Demonstrating: Adding a New Member
+## Demonstrating: Adding a New Member
 
 **Background**: Jane Doe has been contributing to the Dragonfly project for 3 months, consistently submitting bug fixes, documentation improvements, and participating in community discussions.
 
-#### Step 1: Nomination
+### Step 1: Nomination
 
 - Jane creates a nomination issue herself using the [nomination template](./.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/nominate.md) in the community repository, or alternatively, existing Maintainer John Smith helps her create the nomination.
 
-#### Step 2: Community Discussion
+### Step 2: Community Discussion
 
 - The nomination issue remains open for 7 days for community discussion
 - Community members provide feedback and ask questions in the issue comments
 - Jane responds to questions about her commitment and future plans
 - During this period, eligible voters (current Maintainers and Approvers) can raise any concerns or objections.
 
-#### Step 3: Community Meeting and Voting Initiation
+### Step 3: Community Meeting and Voting Initiation
 
 - Jane attends the next bi-weekly community meeting for a quick self-introduction and provides a summary of her contributions.
 - If there are no objections from eligible voters during the meeting, a Maintainer starts the voting process in the nomination issue.
 
-#### Step 4: Voting Process
+### Step 4: Voting Process
 
 - We use [gitvote](https://github.com/cncf/gitvote) for automated vote counting
 - Eligible voters: Current Maintainers and Approvers for Member election
 - Voting takes place for 7 days using GitHub issue reactions (👍 for yes, 👎 for no, 👀 for abstain)
 - Simple majority (more than 50%) of eligible voters is required for approval
 
-#### Step 5: Results and Onboarding
+### Step 5: Results and Onboarding
 
 - Vote results are announced: 5 yes, 1 no, 1 abstain (71% approval - passes)
 - Jane is officially welcomed as a new Dragonfly Community Member

GOVERNANCE.md

@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ We welcome contributions from everyone! If you're interested in contributing, ou
 
 We follow the [CNCF Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) to ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone. We expect all community members to adhere to these standards. If you witness any violations, please don't hesitate to reach out to the project maintainers or the CNCF staff.
 
+## Membership and Elections
+
+We have a structured membership system to recognize and empower active contributors. For details on how to become a Member, Approver, or Maintainer, please refer to our [Dragonfly Community Membership](COMMUNITY_MEMBERSHIP.md) and [Dragonfly Contributor Ladder](COMMUNITY_LADDER.md) documents.
+
 ## Amending this Document
 
 Any major changes to this governance document will be discussed among the Maintainer team and need a supermajority (at least 65%) vote to be approved. For minor tweaks and clarifications, maintainers can make changes after reaching a general agreement.