We are thrilled to announce the launch of a groundbreaking tool for the Cardano community: Cardano GovTool, which is now live on the Cardano mainnet. This core governance tool is a significant step in advancing Cardano's decentralized governance structure, designed to align with the governance framework laid out in CIP-1694.

What Is the Cardano GovTool?

The Cardano GovTool is a community-driven platform designed to streamline and enhance the governance process within the Cardano ecosystem. It enables ada holders to participate in key governance actions, from delegating their voting power to proposing and voting on governance actions. This tool is central to the ongoing decentralization of Cardano, putting the governance process firmly in the hands of the community.

What Can You Do with Cardano GovTool?

GovTool provides an accessible interface that empowers ada holders to shape Cardano's future. Specifically, it allows you to:

• Find and delegate voting power to DReps: delegated Representatives (DReps) play a crucial role in governance, and the GovTool makes it easy to discover and delegate your voting power to them.
• Register as a DRep: if you want to take a more active role in Cardano's governance, you can register to become a DRep and represent the community's interests.
• Propose and submit governance actions: you can propose initiatives and changes that community members can review and vote on.
• Vote on governance actions: like all ada holders, you can represent yourself and vote on governance actions or allow DReps to vote on your behalf, ensuring your voice is heard in decision-making.

Important Note: Bootstrapping Phase

During the initial bootstrapping phase, the Cardano GovTool supports only the submission and voting on info-type governance actions. These actions serve as information-sharing mechanisms to test the system and establish a foundation for more complex governance actions in the future.

Who's Behind Cardano GovTool?

The Cardano GovTool is an open-source project. Four main contributors collaborated to develop and maintain GovTool: Byron Network, DQuadrant, Bloxico, and WeDeliver. These maintainers ensure the tool's ongoing functionality and welcome open-source contributions from the wider Cardano community. This collaborative approach highlights Cardano's decentralized ethos, where anyone can contribute to the growth and development of the ecosystem.

A Landmark Moment for Cardano Governance

This release marks a monumental achievement for the Cardano ecosystem. Governance has now been officially handed over to the ada holders, who can now steer the future of Cardano through direct participation. Intersect, the organization facilitating this release, is proud to have guided the development of the GovTool, supporting the community in taking full ownership of governance.

Simple and Accessible Interface

One of the main goals of the Cardano GovTool is to make governance accessible to all. With a user-friendly interface, it is easier than ever for ada holders to engage with governance, regardless of their technical expertise. The interface simplifies the process, making it intuitive to find DReps, submit governance actions, and vote, ensuring that everyone can participate in shaping the future of Cardano.

By the numbers

In the first 96 hours that Cardano GovTool was live, the Cardano network saw:

• Unique delegators increased by 1,586 (1860 -> 3446)
• Total number of vote delegations increased by 1,765 (1993 ->3758)
• Total DRep votes increased by 49 (9 -> 55)
• Total number of DRep registrations increased by 115  (244 -> 359)

Ready to Get Involved?

To learn more about how you can start using GovTool, explore the GovTool documentation. Here, you'll find everything from step-by-step guides to detailed explanations of its features.

Additionally, check out the list of compatible wallets and stay informed about any known issues that may arise during the bootstrapping phase.

The future of Cardano is in your hands. Get involved and help shape the next chapter of Cardano's evolution.