Delegates are individuals or groups entrusted with the voting power of token holders to vote on their behalf in Moonbeam governance. Delegation is optional and allows delegates to represent a larger percentage of tokens and token holders in the governance process. In contrast, token holders that do not wish to vote themselves are represented.
Moonbeam Community Delegates have met certain requirements, including registering their social media handles, agreeing to abide by the Delegate Code of Conduct, and creating a thread in the Community Forum to share information.
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To gauge sentiment around voting delegation, Moonbeam conducted a survey and found that community members were interested in the option to lend their voting power to a chosen delegate. Respondents wanted someone with expertise active in the community to represent them.
Why Your Choice of Delegate Matters
Choosing the right community delegate is important because governance shapes the future of the network via decisions from technical “root origin” and democracy to grant allocations and treasury spending. Being well represented by your delegate represents the network’s interests and yours.
Community delegates play a vital role as representatives of token holders in the decision-making process. Entrusted with voting power by token holders, they act as advocates, ensuring that the interests and values of the community are considered. By delegating your voting power, token holders empower and encourage delegates to actively participate in governance and make informed decisions.
Why Delegate Your Vote
Delegated voting offers numerous advantages to decentralized communities: It promotes increased participation by allowing individuals who lack time or expertise still to have a say in the governance of the Moonbeam Network. This inclusivity strengthens the decision-making process and ensures a broader representation of community interests.
Additionally, delegating to trusted experts enhances decision-making by leveraging delegates’ knowledge and experience. Their expertise contributes to more informed and well-rounded decisions. Moreover, delegated voting provides flexibility as token holders can delegate their voting power on a proposal-by-proposal or track-basis and have the freedom to change their delegate at any time. This flexibility allows for dynamic and adaptable governance that can evolve with the needs and preferences of the community.
Key Features of Vote Delegation on Moonbeam:
- More tokens used in governance for stronger decision-making and quorum
- Decentralized representation of community members by experts
- Flexible delegation options to meet different needs
- Simple to update or change delegate preferences
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Delegate
When choosing a delegate for delegated voting, many factors must be considered. Deciding which factors are important and how they will affect your decision is a personal choice. That said, here are some things to consider:
- Expertise and knowledge play a crucial role. Please be sure to look for delegates who have a deep understanding of the subject matter or industry related to the decision at hand. Their expertise will contribute to more informed voting decisions.
- Trustworthiness and track record are also important factors. Consider delegates with a proven history of acting in the community’s best interests and making sound decisions.
- Transparency and communication are essential as well. Look for delegates who are open and transparent about their decision-making process and regularly communicate with the community they represent via Community Forum.
- Accessibility and responsiveness are additional factors to consider. Delegates should be easily reachable and responsive to inquiries or concerns from token holders.
- Evaluate the delegate’s alignment with your interests and values. Choose delegates with similar goals and priorities to ensure your voice is effectively represented in the decision-making process.
How to Get Information About Delegates
Head to the Moonbeam delegation platform and choose “For Tokenholders” to select “Delegate Look Up” to enter the wallet address you desire and search for it. After choosing a delegate, choose which track(s) they can vote in and what conviction period they can lock your tokens for. Tracks are different types of governance proposals. Read more on OpenGov origins and tracks.
Karma’s delegate dashboard provides real-time insights into delegate activities across various platforms for Moonbeam tokenholder and community members, ensuring transparency and facilitating informed decision-making.
Karma dashboard:
- Displays a list of all delegates, their voting power, number of delegates, forum and voting activity, and other relevant information/metrics
- Provide a complete history of each delegate’s voting activity
- Allows users to see delegate activity as a voter or proposer, providing insight into their level of engagement with the governance process
- Allows users to delegate/undelegated their votes to a delegate per track with conviction
- Karma pulls data from off-chain platforms such as Discourse and Twitter
- Index wallet activities from Snapshot
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About Karma
Karma is a platform designed to enhance governance for DAOs and communities. It simplifies the process of participating in governance . Through Karma’s delegate dashboard, users can access vital information about delegate activity across various voting systems and social platforms. This ensures transparency and accountability like never before.
Karma also empowers tokenholders by allowing them to delegate their tokens to different delegates and tracks their performance. The Discourse forum plugin integrates seamlessly with DAO forums, displaying delegate information directly within the forum. This valuable data can also be utilized for compensation, rewards, and permissioning, making Karma a hub for contributor management.
