In Sociocracy, what about people who fear that they will never be nominated (popularity contest)?

In the nomination process, it is hard for some if they are not nominated. It might remind them of childhood experiences of being one of the last to be picked for a team. They experience the selection process as a trial where the case is “do my peers know/like me enough to nominate me?” A selection process is not a popularity contest and neither is it a process that needs to spread appreciation evenly. The circle is trying to fill a role, that’s all.
We can take a deep breath and see what we do with the feedback that our skills are not visible to the group. We can nominate ourselves. We can ask to do a round on what the process brought up for us. We can do some inner work (with support, if desired) outside of the circle.

For more information, check out our handbook Many Voices One Song section 3.6.4