Voting Policy v0.2

Introduction

This version of the voting policy was voted on by members in the internal referendum PDAO #5 - Voting Policy, which received 7 aye votes and 1 nay vote from 10 members, and is effective from the 26th of April, 2025.

Policy

In tandem with our recently refined CoI Policy, following our participation in the Decentralized Voices (DV) delegation on the 27th of March, 2025. we've been working on the formalization of our voting policy which has been adopted by the core membership as the guiding framework for all internal votes, treasury proposal evaluations, and on-chain voting activity. The policy aims to establish a transparent, consistent, and principled approach to voting and proposal evaluation in alignment with our responsibilities within the Polkadot ecosystem.

This proposal outlines the fundamental mechanisms of our voting system and defines its key operational rules as follows:

DOTs delegated to Permanence DAO through the Web3 Foundation’s Decentralized Voices program are governed by our recently updated CoI Policy:

  • The DAO abstains from voting on any proposal that directly or indirectly benefits any core member.
  • Only core members present at the time of DV election may vote using these delegated funds.
  • For votes using DAO-owned funds, only the member with a conflict is required to abstain; others may vote freely.

After our decision to separate the voting power of the DAO's own funds from the DOTs delegated by the DV program, voting power of the DAO's own funds will be distributed with a final 54% to 46% split between the core members and the community members respectively. The core members always retain a 54% majority at the least, and the split process is dynamic as more community members join to prevent any single community member of wielding too much voting power.

Proposals are categorized into five priority levels. Each level determines how urgently the DAO must act:

  • Priority 1–2 (High urgency): Structural or large treasury proposals. Require action within 1–2 weeks, with feedback and reminders sent throughout.
  • Priority 3 (Medium spenders): Make up one-third of all proposals. Require a 2-week deadline with minimal reminders.
  • Priority 4–5 (Low spenders/tippers): Require fast but minimal effort decisions.

The following outlines the quorum and majority requirements for each proposal track to be voted as Aye, in cases where the majority of votes are Abstain, the final vote is cast as Abstain:​

  • Priority 1 (e.g., Root, Fellowship Admin): ≥60% quorum.​
  • Priority 2 (e.g., Big Spender, Treasurer): ≥60% quorum.​
  • Priority 3 (Medium Spender): ≥50% quorum, >50% majority.​
  • Priority 4 (Small Spender, Big Tipper): ≥35% quorum, >50% majority of non-abstain votes.​
  • Priority 5 (Small Tipper): ≥30% quorum, >50% majority of non-abstain votes.​

The detailed voting policy will be posted in its entirety on our public document hub for new members and the Polkadot community to familiarize themselves. The policy will be in effect after the internal vote is concluded until further voting by the core members to change parts, or the whole if it. Failure to comply with the voting policy outlined above may result in demotion from the core membership and may, for repeat offenders and after taking an internal vote, result in removal from the DAO.

Please vote at your convenience. Members and the wider community are welcome to suggest additions or amendments.

Kind regards.