Minimum viable on-chain governance

Minimum viable on-chain governance sums up several concepts and milestones that must work together to provide a cohesive and logical next-generation governance framework, signaling the road towards on-chain Cardano governance. The governance journey begins with an interim period to allow safe bootstrapping of on-chain governance through formal governance rules. These include off-chain protections and technical guardrails to protect the chain's integrity and security as Cardano upgrades into a new era. The interim Constitution is an important document encapsulating these protections and must be in place to support the Chang upgrade and the subsequent bootstrapping period.

The deployment of governance features on mainnet signposts the interim period, which includes the drafting process for the final Constitution. A consultation process is now underway and will run throughout 2024. The interim period ends once a final Constitution is ratified on-chain, which is anticipated to follow the Constitutional Convention in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2024.

The interim Constitutional Committee

To uphold the interim Constitution, there will be an interim Constitutional Committee (CC) to enable the first stage of the Chang upgrade. The interim CC will focus on the technicality and base constitutionality of the very first community-submitted on-chain governance actions.

The interim CC will comprise seven members, each sitting for a one-year term to cover the interim period to help maintain security and continuity. Along with pioneer entities IOG, the Cardano Foundation, and EMURGO, and membership body Intersect, three remaining seats are open to community members to apply. Registration opens today, with voting via the Summon Platform opening later in June to elect the three remaining seats.

Key dates

• May 28 registration opens
• June 10 (12:00 UTC) registration closes
• June 8 (21:45 UTC) snapshot taken to record voting power
• June 13 (21:45 UTC) to June 23 (21:45 UTC) voting window via the Summon Platform
• June 26 (12:00 UTC) three elected seats confirmed

Register as a candidate to join the interim CC

According to one of its key pillars, and steered by the Civics Committee, Intersect will facilitate an open and inclusive election process, through which any community member interested in participating in the development of Cardano’s governance can nominate themselves. The vote will likewise be open to all ada holders, with voting power weighted by stake and ranked-choice voting to elect the three additional interim committee members.

This will be a challenging and responsible role, and all appropriate training and ongoing support will be available to committee members. We are looking for community members passionate about developing Cardano's governance. Experienced community contributors who have been active and contributed in SanchoNet, attended DRep workshops, and participated in the CIP-1694 workshops held in summer 2023 are particularly encouraged to apply.

If this is you – either as an individual or as a representative of an entity, collective, or organization – then find out about the upcoming election process, eligibility, timelines, and more on our knowledge base and register your application today.

More ways to get involved

• Apply to host a workshop to contribute to Cardano’s draft Constitution. (Stay close to our socials to find out how you can attend one!)
• Start testing the technical features by heading to SanchoNet to learn more, and to GovTool to participate with a user-friendly experience.
• Join Intersect, and contribute through community-focused committees, and working groups, including groups involved in creating a constitution draft that feeds into a broad community consultation process leading up to ratification.
• Apply for funding opportunities at Intersect to support the rollout through community tooling and other community initiatives.