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The voting system is the core mechanism for DAO decision-making, allowing token holders and delegates to voice their opinions on proposals.

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Overview

Voting in Agora enables:
  • Cast votes on active proposals with your voting power
  • Multiple voting types - standard, approval, optimistic, and ranked choice
  • Real-time results - Track voting progress and outcomes
  • Vote reasoning - Explain your decisions to the community
  • Voting history - Review past votes and participation

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Voting Power

Your voting power is determined at the proposal’s snapshot block:

Direct Tokens

Tokens you hold in your wallet

Delegated Power

Tokens delegated to you by others

Advanced Delegations

Partial or conditional delegations
Voting power is snapshot when the proposal is created. Token transfers or new delegations after the snapshot won’t affect that proposal.

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Voting Methods

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Standard Voting

The most common voting type with three options:
Support the proposal - you want it to pass and be executed
1

Navigate to Proposal

Open the active proposal you want to vote on
2

Select Vote Choice

Click For, Against, or Abstain
3

Add Reason (Optional)

Explain your vote to help others understand your perspective
4

Sign Transaction

Confirm the vote in your connected wallet
5

Vote Recorded

Your vote appears in the votes list immediately
// Vote data structure
type VoteParams = {
  proposalId: string;
  support: 0 | 1 | 2; // 0=Against, 1=For, 2=Abstain
  reason?: string;
  params?: string; // For advanced voting types
};

// The vote is recorded with your full voting power
const vote = {
  proposalId: "12345",
  support: 1, // For
  reason: "This proposal aligns with our long-term goals",
  weight: "10000000000000000000000" // Your voting power in wei
};

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Approval Voting

Vote for multiple options simultaneously:
In approval voting, you can select multiple options. Each selected option receives your full voting power.
How it works:
  1. View all available options in the proposal
  2. Select all options you approve of (you can pick multiple)
  3. Each selected option gets your full voting weight
  4. Options with the most approvals win (based on proposal criteria)
Use cases:
  • Selecting multiple grant recipients
  • Choosing team members
  • Approving multiple initiatives
type ApprovalVote = {
  proposalId: string;
  support: string; // "1" for approval votes
  params: string; // Array of selected option indices: "[0,2,4]"
  weight: bigint;
  reason?: string;
};

// Example: Approving options 0, 2, and 4
const approvalVote = {
  proposalId: "12345",
  support: "1",
  params: "[0,2,4]", // Selected option indices
  weight: 10000n,
  reason: "These three options align with our goals"
};

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Optimistic Voting

Reverse voting where proposals pass unless actively vetoed:
  • Proposals are approved by default
  • Voters can veto if they oppose
  • Used for routine operations and trusted proposers
  • Lower voter turnout required
Optimistic proposals pass unless enough voters actively veto them. Make sure to vote if you oppose!

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Snapshot Voting

Off-chain voting through Snapshot integration:
  • Gasless voting - No transaction fees
  • Flexible options - Support various voting types
  • Signaling votes - Test community sentiment
  • Results stored - Tracked alongside on-chain votes

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Casting Your Vote

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Prerequisites

Your wallet must be connected to the platform. Supported wallets include MetaMask, WalletConnect, Coinbase Wallet, and others.
You must have voting power at the proposal’s snapshot block. This includes tokens you hold or tokens delegated to you.
The proposal must be in the “Active” state. You cannot vote on pending, expired, or executed proposals.
You can only vote once per proposal (unless using advanced features like vote changing).

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Vote Reasoning

Providing context for your vote helps the community:

Why It Matters

  • Informs other voters
  • Builds delegate reputation
  • Creates governance record
  • Facilitates discussion

What to Include

  • Key decision factors
  • Concerns or risks
  • Alternative suggestions
  • Supporting evidence
Example reasons:
  • “Supporting this grant proposal because the team has delivered consistently in the past.”
  • “Voting against due to insufficient technical specification and budget concerns.”
  • “Abstaining as I have a conflict of interest with one of the grant recipients.”

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Viewing Votes

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On Proposal Pages

Each proposal displays:
  • Vote totals - For, Against, Abstain counts
  • Progress bars - Visual representation of voting
  • Quorum status - Progress toward minimum participation
  • Individual votes - List of all voters with their choices

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Votes List

The votes section shows:
Sort by voting power (default) - largest votes first
import { fetchVotesForProposal } from '@/app/api/common/votes/getVotes';

const result = await fetchVotesForProposal({
  proposalId: "12345",
  pagination: { limit: 20, offset: 0 },
  sort: "weight" // or "block_number"
});

console.log(result.data); // Array of votes
console.log(result.meta); // Pagination info

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Vote History

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Your Voting Record

Track your participation:
  1. Navigate to your profile or delegate page
  2. Select the “Votes” tab
  3. View all proposals you’ve voted on
  4. See your voting choices and reasoning

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Delegate Voting History

Review how your delegate votes:
  • Visit their profile at /delegates/[address]
  • Check the “Votes” tab for complete history
  • See voting patterns and participation rate
  • Read their vote reasoning
import { fetchVotesForDelegate } from '@/app/api/common/votes/getVotes';

const result = await fetchVotesForDelegate({
  addressOrENSName: 'delegate.eth',
  pagination: { limit: 20, offset: 0 }
});

const votes = result.data;
console.log(`Participation: ${votes.length} proposals voted on`);

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Vote Data Structure

Understanding vote data: 
type Vote = {
  transactionHash: string | null;
  address: string; // Voter address
  proposalId: string;
  support: Support; // Vote choice
  weight: string; // Voting power used
  reason: string | null; // Optional explanation
  params: ParsedParams; // For approval/ranked voting
  proposalValue: bigint;
  proposalTitle: string;
  proposalType: ProposalType;
  timestamp: Date | null;
  blockNumber?: bigint;
};

type Support = "FOR" | "AGAINST" | "ABSTAIN";

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Voting Analytics

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Participation Metrics

Track governance health:
  • Participation rate - Percentage of voting power that votes
  • Quorum achievement - How often quorum is reached
  • Vote distribution - Balance between For/Against/Abstain
  • Voter concentration - Power distribution among voters

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Delegate Performance

Evaluate delegate effectiveness:
  • Voting frequency - Proposals voted on vs. total active
  • Vote timing - Early vs. late voting patterns
  • Reasoning quality - Depth of vote explanations
  • Alignment - Consistency with stated positions

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Advanced Features

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Hybrid Voting

Some proposals combine on-chain and off-chain voting:
1

Off-chain Signal

Community votes on Snapshot for initial feedback
2

On-chain Vote

Formal vote with on-chain execution rights
3

Combined Results

Both vote results displayed together

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Citizen Voting

For Optimism Collective:
  • Citizens can vote on certain proposals
  • Separate from token holder voting
  • One-citizen-one-vote principle
  • Displayed alongside token votes

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Vote Delegation Within Proposals

Some systems allow:
  • Delegating vote on specific proposal only
  • Temporary delegation for single vote
  • Reverts to normal delegation afterward

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Best Practices

  • Review all active proposals
  • Vote before deadline
  • Maintain regular participation
  • Don’t skip votes without reason
  • Explain your decision
  • Reference specific concerns
  • Suggest improvements
  • Be constructive in criticism
  • Read full proposal text
  • Review discussion threads
  • Check implementation details
  • Verify transaction data
  • Vote based on merit, not popularity
  • Consider long-term implications
  • Balance different stakeholder interests
  • Update views based on new information

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API Reference

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Fetching Votes

// Get votes for a proposal
const proposalVotes = await fetchVotesForProposal({
  proposalId: "12345",
  pagination: { limit: 50, offset: 0 },
  sort: "weight"
});

// Get votes by a delegate
const delegateVotes = await fetchVotesForDelegate({
  addressOrENSName: "0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc9e7595f0bEb",
  pagination: { limit: 20, offset: 0 }
});

// Get user's vote on specific proposal
const userVote = await fetchUserVotesForProposal({
  proposalId: "12345",
  address: "0x..."
});

Proposals

Learn about creating and managing proposals

Delegation

Understand voting power and delegation

Forums

Discuss votes and proposals with the community

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Troubleshooting

  • Check proposal is in Active state
  • Verify you have voting power at snapshot
  • Ensure wallet is connected
  • Confirm you haven’t already voted
  • Check for sufficient gas fees
  • Wait for transaction confirmation (1-2 blocks)
  • Refresh the proposal page
  • Verify transaction on block explorer
  • Check correct network is selected
  • Voting power is from snapshot block
  • Recent token changes don’t apply
  • Check delegation status at snapshot
  • Verify token balance at that time
  • Most voting systems don’t allow changes
  • Vote carefully before submitting
  • Contact governance team if critical error
  • Learn from experience for future votes

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