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Vote Delegation

Vote delegation lets you share your voting power with people you trust, or activate it for yourself. Think of it like giving someone your proxy vote in a shareholder meeting - they can vote on your behalf, but you still own your shares.

What is Vote Delegation?

Delegation is a way to make sure your voice gets heard in governance, even if you can't vote on every single proposal yourself.

The Basics

  • You keep your tokens: Delegation doesn't transfer ownership, just voting power
  • It's reversible: You can change your mind and pick someone else anytime
  • It's required: Even to vote for yourself, you need to "delegate to yourself" first
  • It's flexible: You can switch between voting yourself and having others vote for you

Key People in Delegation

  • You (Delegator): The person who owns tokens and chooses where the voting power goes
  • Representative (Delegate): The person who receives voting power and casts votes
  • Self-Delegation: When you delegate to yourself to vote directly

Important First Step

In DeGov.AI, you must delegate your voting power before you can participate in governance - even if you want to vote for yourself! This is a one-time setup that activates your tokens for voting.

How Delegation Works

The Simple Version

  1. You have tokens that give you voting power
  2. You choose who gets to use that power (could be yourself or someone else)
  3. They vote using your power on governance proposals
  4. You can change your choice anytime you want

What Doesn't Change

  • You still own your tokens
  • You can still sell or transfer your tokens
  • Your tokens still have the same value
  • You can still use them for other purposes

What Does Change

  • Someone else (or you) can now vote using the power from your tokens
  • This only affects governance voting, nothing else

Types of Delegation

Option 1: Vote for Yourself (Self-Delegation)

Best for people who: - Want to vote on proposals themselves - Have time to research and stay informed - Prefer to keep full control

How it works: - You delegate your voting power to your own wallet address - You can then vote directly on any proposal - It's like registering to vote - you have to do it once to participate

Option 2: Choose a Representative

Best for people who: - Don't have time to research every proposal - Want to support someone with relevant expertise - Trust someone else's judgment on governance matters

How it works: - You delegate your voting power to someone else's address - They can vote using your power (combined with their own and others who delegated to them) - You can watch their voting decisions and change delegates if you disagree

Choosing Your Approach

Questions to Ask Yourself

Do you have time to stay informed? - Yes → Consider self-delegation - No → Look for a good representative

Do you understand the technical details? - Yes → Self-delegation might work well - No → Find someone with relevant expertise

Do you trust someone else's judgment? - Yes → Representative delegation could be perfect - No → Self-delegation gives you full control

How important is this to you? - Very important → Stay directly involved with self-delegation - Somewhat important → Either approach works - Not very important → Representative delegation saves time

Finding Good Representatives

If you choose to delegate to someone else, look for people who:

Have a Good Track Record

  • Vote regularly on proposals
  • Explain their reasoning clearly
  • Have been consistent over time
  • Don't miss important votes

Share Your Values

  • Have similar views on how the platform should develop
  • Care about the same issues you do
  • Have demonstrated good judgment in the past

Are Transparent

  • Explain how they make decisions
  • Share their voting reasoning publicly
  • Respond to questions from people who delegate to them
  • Admit when they make mistakes

Stay Active

  • Participate in community discussions
  • Keep up with platform developments
  • Engage with governance regularly
  • Don't disappear for long periods

Finding Representatives

Look for active community members in forums, social media, and governance discussions. Many platforms maintain lists of people who are willing to serve as delegates.

How to Set Up Delegation

Step 1: Decide Who to Delegate To

  • For self-delegation: Use your own wallet address
  • For representative delegation: Find someone you trust and get their wallet address

Step 2: Use the Delegation Interface

Most platforms provide easy-to-use interfaces: - Go to the governance section of the website - Look for "delegation" or "delegate votes" - Enter the address you want to delegate to - Confirm the transaction

Step 3: Pay the Transaction Fee

Like most blockchain actions, delegation requires a small transaction fee (gas). This is usually just a few dollars.

Step 4: Confirm It Worked

Check that your delegation was successful: - Your voting power should now show as delegated - The person you delegated to should have increased voting power - You should see the delegation in your transaction history

Managing Your Delegation

Staying Informed

Even if you delegate to someone else, it's good to: - Occasionally check how they voted - Read their explanations for important decisions - Make sure they're still active and engaged - Verify they still share your values

When to Change Delegates

Consider switching if your representative: - Stops participating regularly - Makes decisions you strongly disagree with - Becomes inactive in the community - Changes their approach in ways you don't like

How to Change

Changing delegates is easy: - Follow the same process as initial delegation - Enter the new person's address - Confirm the transaction - Your voting power immediately moves to the new delegate

Delegation Strategies

For Beginners

  • Start with self-delegation to learn how governance works
  • Watch experienced delegates to see how they make decisions
  • Ask questions in community forums
  • Switch to representative delegation if you get too busy

For Busy People

  • Find one good representative you trust
  • Check their activity occasionally
  • Stay informed about major proposals even if you don't vote directly
  • Be ready to switch if needed

For Experts

  • Consider becoming a delegate yourself to help others
  • Self-delegate to maintain direct control
  • Help educate newcomers about governance
  • Share your reasoning when you vote to help others learn

Benefits for the Community

Why Delegation Helps Everyone

Increases Participation: - People who can't vote directly can still have their voice heard - More total voting power gets activated - Decisions represent more of the community

Leverages Expertise: - Knowledgeable community members can help make better decisions - Complex technical proposals get proper evaluation - Experience and wisdom get shared across the community

Saves Time and Effort: - Not everyone needs to research every proposal in detail - People can focus on their strengths and interests - The community can move faster on decisions

Builds Leadership: - Good delegates become community leaders - People develop governance skills and experience - The community identifies trusted voices

Common Concerns and Questions

"What if my delegate votes against my interests?"

  • You can change delegates anytime
  • Most delegates explain their reasoning publicly
  • You can always switch back to self-delegation
  • Your tokens remain yours regardless

"What if my delegate becomes inactive?"

  • Watch for warning signs like missed votes or no communication
  • The community usually notices and discusses inactive delegates
  • You can easily switch to someone more active
  • Self-delegation is always an option

"Can my delegate steal my tokens?"

  • No! Delegation only affects voting power, not token ownership
  • Your tokens stay in your wallet
  • You can sell, transfer, or use them normally
  • Delegation can be revoked instantly

"What if I disagree with a specific vote?"

  • Consider whether it's a pattern or a one-time disagreement
  • Look at their explanation to understand their reasoning
  • You might learn something new, or you might decide to switch delegates
  • Remember that no delegate will agree with you 100% of the time

Being a Good Delegate

If others delegate to you, remember:

Your Responsibilities

  • Vote regularly and thoughtfully
  • Explain your reasoning clearly
  • Listen to feedback from your delegators
  • Stay informed about governance issues
  • Act in the community's best interest

Best Practices

  • Communicate regularly about your governance activity
  • Be transparent about your decision-making process
  • Admit mistakes when you make them
  • Stay accessible for questions and feedback
  • Put the community first, not just your own interests

Learn More

Want to explore other aspects of governance?

Technical Implementation Details

For developers and technically-minded users:

Core Delegation Functions

// Delegate voting power
function delegate(address delegatee) public

// Get current delegate for an address  
function delegates(address account) public view returns (address)

// Get voting power of an address
function getVotes(address account) public view returns (uint256)

// Get historical voting power
function getPastVotes(address account, uint256 blockNumber) public view returns (uint256)

How It Works Under the Hood

  1. Token Contract Integration: Delegation is built into the governance token contract using ERC20Votes extension
  2. Voting Power Tracking: The contract maintains real-time tracking of delegated voting power
  3. Historical Snapshots: Past voting power is preserved for proposal snapshot functionality
  4. Event Logging: All delegation changes are logged on-chain for transparency

Key Events

event DelegateChanged(address indexed delegator, address indexed fromDelegate, address indexed toDelegate);
event DelegateVotesChanged(address indexed delegate, uint256 previousBalance, uint256 newBalance);

Security Features

  • Atomic Operations: Delegation changes happen instantly and atomically
  • Historical Integrity: Past voting power cannot be manipulated retroactively
  • Reentrancy Protection: Delegation functions include standard security protections
  • Access Control: Only token holders can delegate their own tokens

Gas Optimization

  • Efficient Storage: Voting power calculations are optimized for gas efficiency
  • Batch Operations: Multiple delegation changes can be batched where supported
  • Minimal State Changes: The system minimizes unnecessary storage updates
Last update: May 28, 2025
Created: May 28, 2025