CEP 45: Simplified variant selection

[jaimergp]

Checklist for submitter

• I am submitting a new CEP: Simplified variant selection.
  • I am using the CEP template by creating a copy cep-0000.md named cep-XXXX.md in the root level.
• I am submitting modifications to CEP XX.
  • The PR title reflects the CEP I'm modifying: CEP XX: Amend XYZ.
  • I updated the "Updated" date.
  • I added the link of this PR to the Discussions row.
  • I added or extended the ## Changelog section right above the final "Copyright" section with an item that uses syntax YYYY-MM-DD: Brief explanation of changes.
• Something else: (add your description here).

Checklist for CEP approvals

• The vote period has ended and the vote has passed the necessary quorum and approval thresholds.
• A new CEP number has been minted. Usually, this is ${greatest-number-in-main} + 1.
• The cep-XXXX.md file has been renamed accordingly.
• The # CEP XXXX - header has been edited accordingly.
• The CEP status in the table has been changed to approved.
• The last modification date in the table has been updated accordingly.
• The table in the README has been updated with the new CEP entry.
• The pre-commit checks are passing.

Comes from #111

[jaimergp]

Dear @conda/steering-council,

The vote for this CEP has started. It will be open for two weeks, until May 11th, 2026, 23:59 Anywhere on Earth. This time period has been chosen to make it eligible for time-out rules. As an Enhancement Proposal vote, it requires 60% affirmative votes to pass.

To vote, please mark the relevant checkbox under your username:

• Uwe Korn (@xhochy)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Marius van Niekerk (@mariusvniekerk)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Cheng H. Lee (@chenghlee)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Filipe Fernandes (@ocefpaf)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Marcelo Duarte Trevisani (@marcelotrevisani)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Michael Sarahan (@msarahan)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Marcel Bargull (@mbargull)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• John Kirkham (@jakirkham)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Jannis Leidel (@jezdez)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Wolf Vollprecht (@wolfv)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Jaime Rodríguez-Guerra (@jaimergp)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Bas Zalmstra (@baszalmstra)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Hind Montassif (@Hind-M)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain
• Pavel Zwerschke (@pavelzw)
  • yes
  • no
  • abstain

[wolfv]

Mid voting period reminder, @msarahan @marcelotrevisani @jakirkham @mariusvniekerk @chenghlee @pavelzw

[wolfv]

@mbargull @jakirkham last reminder to vote!

[jaimergp]

Vote results

🗳️ The votes are in! Here is the tally for this @conda/steering-council vote. Thanks to everyone who participated.

🎉 Result: PASSED

Summary

Metric	Value	Threshold	Status
Quorum (participation)	13/14 (92.8%)	≥ 9 voters	✅
Approval (yes / yes+no)	12/12 (100.00%)	≥ 60%	✅

Abstentions count toward quorum but are excluded from the approval fraction.

Tally

• ✅ Yes: 12 (100.00% of decisive)
• ❌ No: 0 (0.00% of decisive)
• 🤷 Abstain: 1
• 💤 Not voted: 1
• ⚠️ Invalid: 0