This document explores the role of delegates and delegation within the context of the Gro DAO, and aims to educate DAO members on the topic of delegation (to enable better DAO governance).

What is Delegation?

Delegation gives DAO members the option to either vote directly on proposals or to give their voting power to a fellow DAO member (a delegate), to vote on their behalf.

As agreed in Vote 26, delegation has now been enabled in the Gro DAO Snapshot space. Accordingly, as part of the off-chain governance process, a DAO member can delegate their votes to a fellow DAO member. If and when the DAO approves the on-chain governance process (as planned), DAO members will be able to delegate their votes on Tally too.

Why is it important?

Delegation leads to more robust, decentralised and representative DAO governance. It makes it easier for the average DAO member to make proposals and for the DAO to pass proposals (as it makes it easier for proposal and quorum thresholds to be met).

It also lets less-active DAO members passively participate in DAO governance by delegating to a more active and informed DAO member (that ideally shares their same values), thereby increasing total voter participation. This is especially important as DAO participation can often be overwhelming and time-consuming - so it gives DAO members the option to grant their voting power to a trusted representative, if they don’t know or care enough or don’t have the time to participate in a specific proposal.

Additionally, if and when any on-chain voting takes place, it allows voters to avoid paying gas fees by sending signatures to a delegate who then executes the aggregated on-chain vote (as enabled by Tally).

How to delegate on Snapshot?

1. Connect your wallet on Snapshot.

2. Select ‘Delegate’ on the left menu.

3. Enter the wallet address for the user you’d like to delegate your voting power to.

4. Click ‘Confirm’. You should be all set.

The currently enabled delegation methods lets DAO members grant their voting power to a given representative whenever they chose to vote on a given proposal themselves. So, a DAO member will retain their voting rights whenever they choose to participate, but that voting power won’t be lost if they miss a given vote.

How to delegate on Tally (WIP)?

https://docs.compound.finance/v2/governance/#delegate

https://docs.tally.xyz/knowledge-base/delegations-on-tally/delegating-voting-power