Cardano governance is an on-chain decision system with three independent voting bodies: Delegated Representatives (DReps), stake-pool operators (SPOs), and the Constitutional Committee (CC). Ada owners can register as DReps, delegate voting power to a DRep (including themselves), change that delegation, or choose predefined options such as Abstain and No Confidence. Governance actions are submitted on-chain, evaluated against action-specific voting rules, and checked for ratification at epoch boundaries.
The system is defined by CIP-1694 and the Cardano Constitution. It separates policy approval, stake-pool participation and constitutional review instead of assigning every decision to one class of voter.
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What is CIP-1694?
CIP-1694 is the design proposal that established Cardano’s Voltaire-era governance framework. It defines governance actions, voter roles, thresholds and the process for moving an action from submission to enactment. The design became operational in stages.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIn August 2024, the Chang bootstrap allowed DRep registration and ADA delegation while an interim Constitution and interim Constitutional Committee operated. The full governance capability arrived with the Plomin hard fork on January 29, 2025, in epoch 537, when Cardano moved to protocol version 10.0. Plomin enabled the complete set of governance actions and activated the DRep role for ADA holders.
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CIP-1694 DReps are not the same as Project Catalyst representatives. They are part of Cardano’s protocol-level, on-chain governance and vote on governance actions defined by the Constitution.
The three Cardano voting bodies
| Body | Who it represents | Voting unit | Role | Participation limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DReps | ADA owners who delegate voting power or vote directly as registered representatives | Lovelace delegated to the DRep | Policy approval across governance-action types | Must vote periodically to remain active; inactive stake is removed from active voting stake |
| Stake-pool operators (SPOs) | Operators of block-producing pools | Pool stake, with the exact basis depending on the action | Required approval for selected security, protocol and network actions | Participation is tied to registered pool operation and the applicable pool-stake threshold |
| Constitutional Committee (CC) | Elected constitutional reviewers | One vote per committee member | Determines whether an action is constitutional | Members serve elected terms; the constitutional role is review, not general policy voting |
The Constitution describes these as independent bodies. A proposal may therefore need approval from more than one body before it can be enacted.
What is a Cardano DRep?
A DRep is a registered Delegated Representative who votes on governance actions using ADA voting power delegated by owners. The Constitution states that a DRep’s voting power equals the number of lovelace delegated to that DRep. One ADA contains one million lovelace, so the protocol counts the smallest ADA unit rather than a rounded wallet balance.
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- Register as a DRep and vote with stake delegated to that registration.
- Delegate voting power to another registered DRep.
- Delegate to themselves by using their own DRep registration.
- Change the delegation later; the owner retains custody of the ADA while changing its voting assignment.
Delegation gives voting authority, not ownership of the coins. The DRep cannot spend delegated ADA merely because it can vote with its associated stake.
Abstain and No Confidence
CIP-1694 provides two protocol-defined choices in addition to ordinary DRep delegation:
- Abstain marks delegated stake as non-participating. That stake is removed from active voting stake when thresholds are calculated.
- No Confidence counts as a Yes vote on a No Confidence action and as a No vote on every other action. Unlike Abstain, it remains part of active voting stake.
These choices have different mathematical effects. Abstain reduces both the votes participating in a decision and the active-stake denominator; No Confidence expresses an opposing position on ordinary actions while remaining in that denominator.
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DRep activity requirements
DReps must vote periodically to remain active. If a DRep becomes inactive, its delegated stake no longer counts toward active voting stake until the DRep is reactivated by voting or updating its DRep certificate. This can affect whether another action reaches its required threshold even when the amount of delegated ADA has not changed.
Do stake pools vote on Cardano proposals?
Yes. Stake-pool operators are a separate voting body, but they do not vote on every governance action. The Constitution requires SPO participation for No Confidence, Update Committee, Hard Fork Initiation, security-relevant Parameter Update and Info actions.
SPO thresholds use a stake basis distinct from DRep active voting stake. For a hard fork, CIP-1694 specifies a percentage of stake held by all pools. The relevant denominator and threshold are governance parameters, so a percentage shown in an older explanation should not be treated as permanently fixed.
An SPO vote represents the pool’s stake-based position, not a separate vote from every individual delegator. Pool operators therefore provide a technical and infrastructure perspective, particularly when a proposal can affect consensus, upgrades or network security.
What does the Constitutional Committee do?
The Constitutional Committee is Cardano’s constitutional check. Its members determine whether a governance action conforms to the Constitution; they are not a general-purpose policy chamber. The Constitution limits the CC to voting on constitutionality, including the constitutionality of proposals contained in Info actions.
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Each CC member has one vote. Most governance actions require the requisite CC affirmation, but No Confidence and Update Committee actions are exceptions in the CIP-1694 matrix. The CC therefore acts as a gate on constitutional compliance while DReps and, where required, SPOs decide the policy or operational merits assigned to them.
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Committee size and recent elections
The official Cardano glossary describes the elected committee as seven members. It records that a 2025 community election filled all seven staggered seats. The same glossary reports that an Update Committee action in the 2026 election was ratified in epoch 653 with 69.4% of DRep stake and 51.2% of stake-pool stake; the successors are stated to serve until epoch 799. Those figures describe that particular action and election, not a permanent threshold or guarantee about future membership.
Unlike DReps, CC members are elected for terms rather than kept active through periodic voting. The constitutional and election rules determine how seats are filled or replaced; there is no equivalent DRep inactivity timer described for committee members.
How a Cardano governance action passes
CIP-1694 groups actions into eight broad classes: No Confidence; Update Committee; New Constitution or Guardrails Script; Hard Fork Initiation; four protocol-parameter groups; Treasury Withdrawal; and Info. Each class has its own combination of required bodies and thresholds.
| Action type | Required voting bodies | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| No Confidence | DReps and SPOs; CC exception applies | Uses the special No Confidence semantics and the action’s configured thresholds |
| Update Committee | DReps and SPOs; CC exception applies | Changes the elected constitutional body under the applicable governance rules |
| New Constitution or Guardrails Script | CC and DReps | Requires constitutional affirmation plus DRep approval |
| Hard Fork Initiation | CC, DReps and SPOs | Requires all three bodies; the SPO calculation uses pool stake |
| Protocol-parameter updates | Depends on parameter group | Security-relevant changes add an SPO vote; other groups follow their own matrix |
| Treasury Withdrawal | CC and DReps | Requires constitutional and DRep approval |
| Info | DReps and SPOs, with CC able to review constitutionality | The CIP-1694 design specifies 100% DRep and SPO thresholds |
Threshold labels in CIP-1694, such as P1, P3 or Q4, identify governance parameters. They are not safe substitutes for a current protocol-parameter lookup. The exact percentage can be changed through governance, so an explanation should state the parameter version and action context when quoting a number.
Epoch-boundary ratification
- A proposer submits the governance action on-chain with the required deposit and action details.
- The designated bodies cast votes during the action’s voting period.
- At an epoch boundary, the protocol checks the action’s body-specific thresholds and denominators.
- If the action is ratified, it is staged for enactment at the next epoch boundary.
- If it fails to reach its threshold before expiry, it eventually expires and its deposit is returned.
No Confidence, Update Committee, constitutional changes and Hard Fork Initiation have a scheduling effect on other actions: they delay ratification of those other actions until the first epoch after their own enactment. This prevents a major constitutional or protocol transition from being applied simultaneously with unrelated pending decisions.
Constitutional guardrails and important numbers
The ratified Constitution states that Cardano’s total ADA supply must not exceed 45,000,000,000 ADA. It also requires at least 65% of active voting stake for a constitutional amendment unless a guardrail specifies another threshold. “Active voting stake” matters: inactive DRep stake and Abstain stake do not remain in that denominator, while No Confidence stake does.
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The 65% figure applies to constitutional amendment approval under the stated constitutional rule. It should not be copied onto ordinary treasury, committee, parameter or hard-fork actions, each of which has its own matrix and threshold parameters.
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How to delegate your ADA voting power
The exact buttons differ by wallet and governance interface, but the protocol-level sequence is consistent. Use a wallet that supports Cardano governance certificates and the current governance tools documented by Cardano.
- Open the governance area. Connect the wallet and choose the governance, delegation or voting section rather than ordinary staking delegation.
- Choose a DRep. Review the DRep’s registration, stated voting policy and recent participation. Confirm that the identifier belongs to the representative you intend to support.
- Submit the delegation certificate. Approve the transaction and network fee. The ADA stays in your wallet; only its voting delegation changes.
- Check the on-chain result. Wait for confirmation, then verify that the wallet displays the selected DRep and the effective delegation epoch.
- Change or remove the delegation when needed. Submit a new delegation or a predefined choice such as Abstain. A later certificate supersedes the previous selection according to protocol rules.
To become a DRep, register a DRep certificate, publish enough information for delegators to evaluate your position, and use a governance tool to vote. Keep voting or update the certificate periodically so your associated stake remains active.
How to evaluate a proposal before voting
- Identify the action class; it determines which bodies must approve it.
- Read the proposed constitutional rationale and any guardrail or parameter values.
- Check whether the action changes security-sensitive protocol behavior, the committee, the Constitution, the treasury or the hard-fork state.
- Look at the voting denominator: DRep active stake and pool stake are not interchangeable.
- Confirm the voting period and the epoch in which ratification will be checked.
- For an Info action, remember that it is still subject to the action’s configured DRep and SPO thresholds even though it may not directly change protocol state.
Common misunderstandings and failure modes
Confusing staking delegation with governance delegation
Delegating ADA to a stake pool for rewards does not automatically select a DRep. Governance delegation is a separate certificate and wallet action.
Assuming every body votes on every proposal
The action matrix controls participation. A treasury withdrawal needs CC and DRep approval, while a hard fork needs all three bodies. Do not infer required voters from the proposal’s subject alone.
Using an old percentage
Threshold parameters can change. A percentage copied from an earlier CIP-1694 summary may describe a previous configuration rather than the current rule.
Expecting an immediate enactment
Ratification is checked at an epoch boundary, and a ratified action is staged for the next boundary. A successful vote therefore does not mean the change takes effect in the same block.
Letting a DRep go inactive
Failing to vote periodically can remove the DRep’s stake from active voting stake. Voting or updating the DRep certificate restores activity under the protocol’s reactivation rules.
Reading No Confidence as ordinary abstention
No Confidence is an active position: it is Yes for a No Confidence action and No for every other action. Abstain is the option that removes stake from active voting stake.
Cardano governance timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| August 2024 | Chang bootstrap: DReps could register, ADA holders could delegate, and an interim Constitution and interim CC operated while governance support was limited. |
| January 29, 2025 | Plomin hard fork in epoch 537, protocol version 10.0: full CIP-1694 governance capabilities and the DRep role became active. |
| 2025 | The first community election filled the seven staggered CC seats, according to the official glossary. |
| Epoch 653 in 2026 | The glossary reports ratification of an Update Committee action with 69.4% DRep stake and 51.2% stake-pool stake; successors serve until epoch 799. |
What this system means for ADA holders
Cardano governance turns ADA ownership into an ongoing constitutional and policy responsibility rather than a one-time referendum. You can choose a representative, operate as one, vote directly when eligible, or deliberately select Abstain or No Confidence. The practical consequences of those choices depend on the action class, the current protocol parameters, DRep activity and the epoch schedule.
The safest mental model is to treat governance as three coordinated checks: DReps express the broader ADA-holder policy view, SPOs supply infrastructure and security consent where the Constitution requires it, and the CC tests constitutionality. An action becomes effective only after the combination specified for that action is satisfied and the epoch-boundary process completes.
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