Delegates and Voters
Who participates in House of Stake, what delegates do, and how direct voting fits in.
In House of Stake, people can take part in governance in two main ways: they can vote directly, or they can delegate their voting power to someone they trust.
Delegates play a central role by voting on proposals, helping shape the future of the ecosystem, and explaining their decisions in public.
Delegates
Delegates receive voting power when other veNEAR holders delegate their tokens to them. To become a delegate, a user must meet certain requirements and publicly commit to participating in governance.
Responsibilities
- Vote actively on governance proposals
- Provide rationale for their decisions
- Engage with the community and answer questions
- Comply with the Code of Conduct and avoid conflicts of interest
Delegates may receive incentives if they meet participation criteria such as maintaining 80%+ voting activity, regular updates, and holding at least 0.5% of veNEAR.
Participants
Anyone holding veNEAR can participate in governance directly — by voting, submitting proposals, or delegating their tokens.
Participants can:
- Self-delegate or choose a delegate
- Submit improvement proposals (grants, rules, experiments)
- Join discussions in public governance forums
House of Stake encourages both direct and delegated participation to ensure flexibility and inclusion.
Role of Delegates
Participation in House of Stake is permissionless — anyone holding veNEAR can vote directly. However, the delegate system exists to streamline governance for everyday participants by enabling delegation to trusted representatives.
Endorsed Delegate role
As of April 5th, 2025, the endorsed delegate role has been paused for Season #1.