Voting

The key aspects of ENS DAO voting process are:

  • Delegation
  • Governance Environments
  • Social and Executable Proposals
  • Steward Elections

The ENS DAO uses token-weighted voting – one token, one vote. $ENS tokens must be delegated before a proposal is set into motion. When a proposal is open for voting, it is announced on the ENS DAO governance forum and Twitter/X account. Delegates are asked to vote on all Social and Executable proposals, as well as Steward Elections.

Delegation

$ENS tokens must be delegated to an Ethereum address in order to have governance power. Here are some important delegation considerations:

  • Tokens can be self-delegated or delegated to another address.
  • Address delegation remains until modified, or after changes in token ownership.
  • Delegation is flexible and can be changed at any time by the token holder.
  • Delegations cannot be split – either zero or all tokens are delegated from and to an address.
  • You can’t delegate tokens locked on centralized exchanges.

If you control an Ethereum address with delegated $ENS tokens, you are a delegate. Now you are able to vote on ENS DAO proposals. Delegates’ voting history is open to everyone. This is important for $ENS token holders in order to select a delegate that aligns with their governance choices. Delegates are not required to own $ENS tokens, which allows people with a particular expertise to vote on behalf of a pool of token holders.

Governance Environments

ENS DAO governance environments include:

  • Governance forum – participation requires account registration.
  • Working Group Meetings – regular meetings are held weekly.
  • Twitter/X – posts updates frequently.
  • Tally – used for Executable Proposals and $ENS delegation.
  • Snapshot – used for Social Proposals and Working Group elections.

Proposals

There are three types of ENS DAO voting procedures:

  • Social Proposals
  • Executable Proposals
  • Steward Elections

Social Proposals are off-chain procedures that ask for the agreement of the DAO on a social consideration that cannot be enforced on-chain. They are posted on the ENS DAO Snapshot space and are open for 5 days. Voting is free and does not require gas. Votes can be changed for free at any time before a vote ends. Social proposals can be put forward by any Delegate with at least 10,000 $ENS.

Executable Proposals are on-chain procedures able to execute smart contract operations – if they are approved. Proposals are open for 7 days, and can be viewed on Tally or Agora. Voting is not free and requires gas. Votes cannot be changed once they are cast. Executable proposals can be put forward to a vote by any Delegate with at least 100,000 $ENS tokens.

Steward Elections take place each year in December. Each working group will elect three stewards per term. Steward elections are administered by the Meta-Goverance Working Group. Information about working group elections are posted in the governance forum.

These procedures are well-defined and nuanced. Refer to the official documentation for full technical details.

Working Groups

The ENS DAO uses working groups to manage the DAO’s work-related activities – without requiring a Social or Executable Proposal. As of 2025, there are three working groups:

  • Meta-Governance
  • ENS Ecosystem
  • Public Goods

Each working group has a set of rules, approved by Social Proposal in December 2021. The rules were modified in June 2022 and November 2023. Working groups have three stewards each – they are elected to serve for a 12 months term. The stewards appoint a secretary for the term. Working groups’ budget must be approved by Social Proposal. These funds are then managed by a 3-of-4 multi-sig.

Meta-Governance Working Group responsibilities include:

  • Governance oversight.
  • Management and operational support.
  • DAO treasury management.

ENS Ecosystem Working Group responsibilities include:

  • ENS’ growth and improvement.
  • Funding projects intrinsic to ENS.
  • Supporting programs centered on ENS.

Public Goods Working Group responsibilities include:

  • Enhancing the Ethereum ecosystem.
  • Funding non-ENS projects.
  • Channeling grants via third-party platforms (e.g., Gitcoin).

Soliciting funding from Working Groups is done according to their specific procedures. Please refer to ENS DAO channels for more information.

On the next article, we’ll explore the strengths of ENS DAO, as well as its challenges and potential evolution.