Thinking this a bit more, this actually sums up clearly the difference between Elm and other open source projects:
Other open source projects:
When issue is reported, main question is whether reported issue has merit. If it has, it will be acted upon, regardless of whether the person reporting the issue is known to the project or not.
Elm:
When issue is reported, main question is whether Evan has asked the person reporting the issue to contribute to Elm or not. If Evan has done so, issue will be acted upon. If Evan has not done so, issue will be considered unsolicited advice and will not be acted upon, regardless of whether the issue itself has merit or not.
Summary:
If you want to contribute to Elm, wait until Evan asks you to do so. Do not contribute before Evan asks you to do so as any contribution you do would be considered unsolicited advice.