Editing Encyclopedia:Administrators (section)

== Becoming an administrator ==
{{Main|Wikipedia:Guide to requests for adminship}}
{{Notice|Each individual [[m:Wikimedia projects|Wikimedia project]] (including [[m:List of Wikipedias|other Wikipedias]]) may have its own policy for granting adminship.}}
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There are two processes for becoming an administrator on English Wikipedia: through consensus established by public discussion, or by secret ballot. The [[English Wikipedia]] requires that administrator candidates possess the [[Wikipedia:Extended|extended-confirmed]] user right.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/2024 review/Phase I#Proposal 25: Require nominees to be extended confirmed]]</ref> 

'''Only one account of a given person may have administrative tools'''. The only exception is administrators may own [[WP:Bots|bots]] with administrative access. See [[WP:ADMINSOCK]].

Adminship is granted indefinitely, and is removed only upon request, under circumstances involving high-level intervention (see [[#Grievances by users ("administrator abuse")|administrator abuse]] below), or due to inactivity.

=== Request for adminship through consensus <span class="anchor" id="Request for adminship"></span> ===
Any extended-confirmed user can [[WP:RFA|request adminship]] ("RfA") from the community. However, administrators are expected to have the trust and confidence of the community, so requests from users who do not have considerable experience are usually not approved. Any editor can comment on a request, and each editor will assess each candidate in their own way. However, only editors possessing the extended-confirmed user right can "vote" on requests.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/2024 review/Phase I#Proposal 14: Suffrage requirements]]</ref>

Before requesting or accepting a nomination, candidates should generally be active, regular, and long-term Wikipedia editors, be familiar with the procedures and practices of Wikipedia, respect and understand its policies, and have gained the general trust of the community. Candidates are also required to disclose whether they have ever edited Wikipedia for pay, any alternate accounts they also edit from, and any past accounts they have previously edited under. Questions regarding these are permitted to be asked of every candidate, by any editor in the community, throughout the RFA process.

A discussion takes place for seven days about whether the candidate should become an administrator. Per community consensus, RfAs are advertised on [[MediaWiki:Watchlist-messages|editors' watchlists]] and [[Template:Centralized discussion]]. The community has instituted a question limit: no editor may ask more than two questions of a candidate. Also disallowed are multi-part questions that are framed as one question, but which in effect ask multiple questions and exceed the limit. [[WP:CRAT|Bureaucrats]] may "clerk" RfAs, dealing with comments and/or votes which they deem to be inappropriate. 

The RfA process allows other editors to get to know the candidate. Editors explore the candidate's involvement and background as an editor, conduct in discussions, and understanding of the role they are requesting. Editors state if they support or oppose the request, along with their reasons and impressions of the candidate. An [[WP:UNINVOLVED|uninvolved]] bureaucrat then determines if there is [[Wikipedia:Consensus|consensus]] to approve the request. This determination is not based exclusively on the percentage of support, but in practice most RfAs above 75% pass. The community has determined that ''in general'', RfAs between 65 and 75% support should be subject to the discretion of bureaucrats. (Therefore, it logically follows that almost all RfAs below 65% support will fail.)

While RFA is an intensive process, the quality of feedback and review on the candidate's readiness and demeanor by experienced editors is often very high. Applicants who are unsuccessful but take steps to address points raised will often succeed on a subsequent request some months later. If you are interested in requesting adminship, you should first read the [[Wikipedia:Guide to requests for adminship|guide to requests for adminship]] and the [[Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Nominate|nomination instructions]]. When you are ready to apply, you may add your nomination to the [[Wikipedia:Requests for adminship]] ("RFA") page, according to the instructions on that page.

=== Administrator elections ===
Administrators can also be selected by an [[Wikipedia:Administrator elections|administrator election]] with a secret ballot. Administrator elections, which began in 2024, do not replace RfA, and prospective administrators may freely choose which process to use. A trial election was held in October 2024. Administrator elections were authorized permanently on a 5-month schedule in an RfC held in early 2025. Excluding the pre-election windows for candidate nominations and ballot setup, the process lasts 12 days: a 5-day period for discussion and questions, followed by a 7-day period for a secret ballot vote. Election cycles and the timeframes for each window and period are advertised in advance, including by watchlist notices.

After voting has ended, the election will be scrutinised by three English Wikipedia CheckUsers or stewards. They will check for any duplicate, ineligible, or sockpuppeteer votes, and strike them as necessary. Once scrutineering is complete, votes are tallied, results are announced, and new admins are granted administrative privileges. To be successful, and a candidate must receive a support percentage of 70% or more and a quorum of at least 20 support votes. The vote tally is calculated by Support / (Support + Oppose) for each candidate.