Governance
Overview of how governance works — token-weighted voting, proposals, and the scope of community decisions.
DeepNode uses a stake-weighted, validator-delegated governance model with the ability for delegators to override validator votes. It follows the cosmos model.
Governance allows the community to propose changes, vote on protocol upgrades, adjust domain parameters, and manage key economic settings.
The diagram below illustrates the full governance flow, from proposal creation to final outcome.
1. Creating a Proposal
Any network participant can submit a proposal by:
locking X $DN in the Proposal Vault,
describing the change,
and publishing the proposal for review.
This stake is held until the proposal concludes, and returned unless the proposal is vetoed.
2. Voting Actors
Two groups participate in voting:
A. Validators
Validators cast votes that automatically represent:
their own stake
plus the stake delegated to them (unless overridden)
Validators vote on behalf of their delegators by default.
B. Delegators
Delegators can override their validator’s vote but only with the stake they personally control. This enables decentralized participation without requiring validators to act as passive intermediaries.
3. Voting Options
Participants may choose:
Yes
No
Abstain
No with Veto
Votes flow into the Voting Module, which prepares them for tallying.
4. Tallying & Quorum
The Tally Module evaluates votes against the required quorum.
Quorum Requirement:
A minimum of 50% of total voting power must participate.
If quorum is not reached, the proposal automatically fails, and tokens are returned.
If quorum is reached, the system evaluates the results.
5. Decision Outcomes
Once quorum is met, the outcome follows this logic:
A. Pass
Yes > 50%
Proposal passes
Locked tokens are returned
Change is enacted
B. Fail (without veto)
No > 50%
Proposal fails
Locked tokens are returned
C. Veto
If No with Veto > 33%, the proposal is vetoed:
Tokens locked in the proposal are burned
Proposal is marked as failed with veto
This protects the protocol from malicious or harmful changes
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