Cardano’s on-chain governance is designed to be resilient and to keep moving forward, even when unexpected challenges arise.

Last week, Constitutional Committee (CC) member Cardano Atlantic Council announced their retirement, effective November 25th, 2025. The CC plays a crucial role in Cardano’s governance model, confirming or rejecting on-chain governance actions according to their constitutionality. The minimum number of CC members required to uphold the Cardano Constitution and safeguard the protocol is specified via the protocol parameter committeeMinSize, which is currently set at 7. With the resignation of one CC member, the council falls below the required 7 members.

To maintain the constitutional balance and uphold the principles of legitimate, continuous governance, Intersect will facilitate a snap election to fill this vacancy. A snap election is an unscheduled vote called earlier than initially planned. In this case, it allows the community to quickly fill the vacant seat and maintain continuity in Cardano’s on-chain governance. 

Acting swiftly but responsibly means the community can reduce the impact of stalling the governance process. 

Calling on applications - this coming Monday!

Following the playbook of the CC election process that Intersect ran this summer, we’ll be opening a condensed version given the importance of the CC and the need to elect one candidate to replace the outgoing member and to complete their term until the end of epoch 653 (6 September 2026).

We’re looking for candidates from within the Cardano ecosystem to put themselves forward. You can apply in one of three capacities:

• Individuals: Any eligible Ada holder applying in their personal capacity.
• Consortia: Groups of individuals or entities who choose to apply together as a single collective candidacy.
• Companies: Formal organizations or businesses that wish to participate and contribute to Cardano's governance via the Committee.

Serving on the Constitutional Committee is a significant opportunity to contribute directly to Cardano governance. We encourage all eligible ada holders, consortia, and companies with a comprehensive understanding of Cardano's history, ecosystem, current standing, and Constitution to stand.

Given the speed at which this election is developing, a full breakdown of candidate criteria will be shared on our knowledge base in due course.

Key dates

All times are listed in UTC, beginning at 12:00 noon on each date.

• Monday, November 17:  Candidate registration opens 
• Monday, November 24:  Candidate registration closes; campaign week begins
• Monday, December 1:  Voting opens on Ekklesia
• Friday, December 5: Voting closes; results audited
• Monday, December 8: Governance Action submitted on-chain

At every step, we’ll communicate how the community and DReps can get involved. 

Election Details

Candidates will be asked to complete a Proof-of-Life check to appear on the ballot. This measure is designed to uphold transparency and authenticity, and ensure voters can trust that those standing for election are legitimate, known participants in the Cardano ecosystem.

Note: If 50% of a consortium consists of individuals who ran solo or as part of a team in the previous CC election, they will be exempt from this step.

Working together 

Once the community elects the new committee member, Intersect will submit the ‘Update Committee Governance Action’ to confirm the winner, who will fulfill the term vacated by Cardano Atlantic Council.

Intersect, in its role as facilitator, will coordinate efforts across the ecosystem to encourage broad participation of DReps and SPOs, helping ensure this Governance Action is enacted swiftly and with clear consensus.

Looking ahead

Even in the face of unforeseen changes, our governance processes and institutions can respond swiftly. Conversations are continuing in parallel to adjust the minimum CC (committeeMinSize) to ensure flexibility when individual member statuses change. In addition, CC compensation remains an open topic, and discussion will continue how best to model it going forward.

Keep an eye on all our channels this coming Monday for more information, applicant support, and all links.

Learn more about how to register or vote in the Snap Election. Full details and participation links will be published on November 17.

Follow @IntersectMBO for ongoing updates and key announcements.