Delegated voting lets you assign your governance voting power to another address (a delegate) who votes on your behalf. You keep your tokens; they get your votes. If your delegate votes in ways you disagree with, you can redelegate to someone else or reclaim your votes at any time. It solves the participation problem in DAOs where most token holders do not actively vote.
What Is Delegated Voting?
3 min read
The short version
Delegation is like giving someone your proxy vote at a shareholders meeting. You trust them to represent your interests because you do not have time to read every proposal yourself. If they start voting against your values, you take your proxy back. Your tokens never leave your wallet, and you can override your delegate on specific votes if you want to.
How It Works
How it works: you call delegate(address) on the governance token contract, pointing your voting weight to a delegate address. From that point, your tokens' voting power is counted when the delegate votes. You can: self-delegate (activate your own voting power), delegate to a community member who is active in governance, or delegate to a professional governance organization. Liquid delegation: on some protocols, you can delegate different portions to different delegates. On most (Compound Governor pattern), you delegate your full balance to one address. Override: on protocols that support it, you can vote directly on a specific proposal, overriding your delegate for that vote while maintaining delegation for all others. Common delegate profiles: protocol team members, active community contributors, professional governance firms (like Gauntlet, StableLab, Flipside), and public-good delegates who represent specific values or constituencies.
Delegating ARB to a governance professional
You hold 10,000 ARB (~$10,000) and want to participate in Arbitrum governance but lack time to evaluate every proposal. You browse Tally.xyz/gov/arbitrum delegates and find a delegate with: 85% voting participation, clear voting rationale posts, and values aligned with yours (decentralization-focused, conservative with treasury). You call delegate(their_address) on the ARB token contract (one gas transaction, ~$0.50 on Arbitrum). Now your 10,000 ARB voting power counts toward their total. They vote on your behalf across all Arbitrum proposals. You check their voting record monthly. If they miss votes or vote against your values, you redelegate with another transaction.
What People Get Wrong
Delegating transfers your tokens
Delegation only transfers voting power, never tokens. Your ARB/UNI/OP stays in your wallet. You can sell, transfer, or use them in DeFi at any time. If you transfer your tokens, the voting power moves with them automatically.
You cannot vote if you have delegated
On many protocols, you can override your delegate for specific votes (your direct vote takes priority). On others, you must undelegate first. Check your specific protocol. Either way, redelegation is always available instantly.
Delegates are paid to vote a certain way
Some delegates receive grants or compensation from the DAO for their governance work (proposal review, research, community engagement). Ethical delegates disclose these relationships. Vote buying does exist but is generally frowned upon and potentially illegal in some jurisdictions.
Keep Reading
Sources & Further Reading
- Tally Delegates
Browse and choose delegates for Arbitrum governance
- Karma (Delegate Scoring)
Ranks DAO delegates by participation, voting history, and engagement
Questions People Also Ask
- Where do I find delegates to choose from?
- Tally.xyz shows delegates with their voting history, participation rate, and statements for major DAOs. Karma.xyz ranks delegates by activity. Many DAOs maintain delegate directories on their governance forums with personal statements about voting philosophy.
- Can I become a delegate?
- Yes. Self-delegate your tokens (activate your voting power), write a delegate statement explaining your governance philosophy, publish it on the relevant DAO forum, and participate actively in discussions and voting. As you build a track record, others may choose to delegate to you.
- What happens to delegation if I sell my tokens?
- Voting power is dynamic based on your current balance. If you sell 5,000 of your 10,000 ARB, your delegate loses 5,000 voting power automatically. If you sell all tokens, delegation has no effect (zero balance = zero votes). No action needed on your part.