A new contributor agreement in electronic format is now available on the official Python site. It replaces the old paper method that required printing the form, signing it, scanning it, and then sending it by fax or email, with all the associated hassles such as lost messages, fax machines that never work, and images with too low a resolution.
In short, a more user-friendly, more modern, simpler solution (and therefore less work for administrators and signatories alike) has just been set up. It guides the user through all the steps, which consist of filling in a form and providing an electronic signature.
The electronic signature part uses Adobe EchoSign, which handles the necessary verifications and then confirms the signing of the agreement to the PSF (Python Software Foundation).
All contributors must sign this form to be able to contribute, and making the process easier is a good thing and may bring in new contributors, just in time for the next PyCon, which starts on 18 March in Santa Clara (and ends on the 21st).
As a reminder, you become a contributor simply from the moment you use the Python bug tracker. After that, nothing stops you from fixing bugs or adding new features!