How do I participate in governance on Solana?

Participating in governance on the Solana blockchain allows community members to have a say in the future direction and development of the network. Solana’s governance is primarily decentralized, enabling holders of SOL (Solana's native cryptocurrency) and key stakeholders to influence important decisions about upgrades, changes, and the use of resources.

1. Understanding Solana Governance

Solana's governance model is not as formalized as some other blockchains like Ethereum or Cardano. However, governance is gradually becoming more structured, and several community-driven protocols have emerged to facilitate decentralized decision-making.

Governance on Solana can be viewed through two primary lenses:

• Network-Level Governance: Involves decisions related to protocol upgrades, core changes, and the infrastructure of the Solana blockchain.
• Protocol-Specific Governance: Involves individual decentralized applications (dApps) built on the Solana blockchain, many of which have their own governance mechanisms where users participate through tokens or other voting mechanisms.

2. Steps to Participate in Solana Governance

Step 1: Hold SOL Tokens The primary requirement to participate in governance on Solana is to hold SOL, the native cryptocurrency of the blockchain. As a SOL token holder, you can influence certain network activities, particularly for any proposed upgrades and network changes.

Step 2: Delegate Your SOL Tokens Solana operates using a Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. To be actively involved in governance, you can delegate your SOL tokens to validators. Validators are responsible for confirming transactions and securing the network, but they also have a say in governance decisions, representing their delegators. Delegating SOL tokens to a trusted validator allows you to indirectly participate in decisions.

Step 3: Participate in Community Discussions Governance decisions are influenced by community input. Many discussions about Solana’s future development take place in community forums, GitHub, Discord, and other social media channels like Twitter and Reddit. Engaging with these platforms helps you understand ongoing proposals, voice your opinions, and help shape network priorities.

• GitHub: The Solana community often uses GitHub for tracking proposed changes, discussing issues, and collaborating on upgrades. Anyone can contribute by submitting issues or participating in discussions.
• Forums and Discord: Active participation in forums and community chats is crucial. Key members of the community discuss network challenges, propose solutions, and invite others to comment. This is an excellent place to offer your suggestions and learn from others.

Step 4: Vote on Governance Proposals via DAOs Several decentralized applications (dApps) on Solana use Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) for governance. DAOs allow token holders to vote directly on protocol-specific proposals.

• SPL Governance Tokens: Some projects in the Solana ecosystem distribute governance tokens known as SPL tokens to users. Holding these tokens allows users to vote on protocol-specific issues, such as changes in protocol parameters, fee structure adjustments, or treasury allocation.
• Voting Platforms: Various platforms, such as Squads, Marinade Finance, or Realms (Solana’s native DAO platform), facilitate governance voting for decentralized protocols built on Solana. Participating in governance through these platforms requires holding specific governance tokens for each project.

3. Key Platforms and Tools for Governance Participation

Solana governance participation can take place using specific tools or platforms that have been built to make voting easier for the community:

• Realms (by Solana Labs): Realms is the most popular governance platform for Solana projects. It allows DAO communities to create proposals, conduct discussions, and allow users to vote. You can participate by connecting your wallet that holds governance tokens or SOL to Realms and voting on active proposals.
• Squads: Squads is a collaborative platform that helps create multisignature wallets and governance frameworks on Solana. It provides an additional avenue for individuals looking to participate more actively in specific projects on Solana by joining decision-making bodies.

4. Types of Proposals

Proposals can vary depending on the governance structure. Generally, you’ll find:

• Protocol Upgrades: These involve changes to the underlying blockchain to improve scalability, security, or functionality.
• Parameter Adjustments: This might involve modifying certain settings like transaction fees, block time, or staking rewards.
• Treasury Allocations: Some DAOs on Solana have treasuries, and governance participation may involve voting on how those funds are used to support development or community initiatives.

Conclusion

Participating in governance on Solana involves a combination of holding or delegating SOL, engaging in community discussions, and using governance tokens on specific dApp platforms to vote on proposals. Solana’s decentralized model encourages community involvement, with Realms and similar platforms providing accessible ways for anyone to participate. By understanding these steps, you can take an active role in shaping the direction of Solana’s development, both at the network and dApp levels.