المقترحات والتصويت

On-chain governance follows a clear lifecycle: propose, vote, queue, execute.

Each stage is handled by a Governor smart contract that enforces the rules automatically.

OpenZeppelin's Governor is the standard framework for DAO voting. It manages proposals, tallies votes, and triggers execution.

It is modular: you plug in a vote-counting strategy, a token, and timing parameters.

A proposal bundles the actions to execute: target contracts, call data, and values, plus a human-readable description.

After a proposal is created, a voting delay passes before voting opens.

This gives members time to review and lets the snapshot block settle so balances are fixed.

During the voting period, members cast votes weighted by their delegated power at the snapshot block.

Standard options are For, Against, and Abstain.

When voting ends, the Governor tallies the weighted votes. A proposal succeeds only if it has more For than Against votes and meets the quorum.

Abstain votes typically count toward quorum but not toward the For/Against decision.

A proposal moves through defined states:

• Pending — waiting for voting delay
• Active — voting open
• Defeated or Succeeded
• Queued then Executed

A succeeded proposal is usually queued in a timelock before it can run.

This delay (covered next lesson) is a safety buffer letting users react before the change takes effect.

After the timelock delay, anyone can call execute to carry out the proposal's actions on-chain.

The Governor (or its timelock) holds the permissions needed to make the changes.

On-chain voting costs gas per vote. To save costs, many DAOs deliberate and signal off-chain (Snapshot) and only push final, binding actions on-chain.

This hybrid keeps participation cheap while preserving trustless execution.

Governor contracts standardize the propose-vote-queue-execute flow. Voting delays, periods, quorum, and proposal states make governance predictable and secure.

Next we focus on timelocks, the safety layer before execution.

Test your understanding of the governance flow.

You learned that:

• Governance follows propose, vote, queue, execute
• The Governor contract enforces the rules
• A voting delay and period structure the timeline
• Success needs a majority For plus quorum
• Proposals pass through defined states

Next: timelocks and safe execution.