Stargate DAO Governance

Overview

The Stargate DAO represents the decentralized governing body of the Stargate protocol. It comprises a collective of veSTG token holders who collaboratively guide the protocol’s direction and community initiatives through a structured, transparent governance process.

Stargate

This decentralized framework ensures that Stargate benefits from the diverse perspectives of its stakeholders and is not reliant on any single entity. Key decisions driven by the DAO include, but are not limited to:

Protocol upgrades and development roadmap.
Integration priorities with other protocols or chains.
Treasury management and incentive programs.
Distribution of STG emissions to liquidity providers.

Voting Power (veSTG)

Governance voting power within the Stargate DAO is represented by veSTG (voting escrow STG).

Acquisition: veSTG is obtained by staking locked Stargate (STG) tokens.
Non-Transferable: veSTG itself cannot be transferred between wallets.
Linear Decay: A DAO member’s veSTG balance decreases linearly over time as the remaining lock duration of their staked STG diminishes.

This decay mechanism inherently prioritizes the influence of long-term committed STG token holders in the governance process.

Proposal Lifecycle

The journey of a proposal within the Stargate DAO follows three distinct stages:

1. Discussion Period

Initiation: Anyone can initiate a proposal for consideration by the DAO.
Venue: Proposals should be formally submitted and discussed within the appropriate category on the Stargate Governance Forum .
Purpose: This period allows the community to discuss the proposal’s merits, drawbacks, and potential impact. Proposers can refine their ideas based on community feedback.
Duration: The discussion period must last for a minimum of 5 days but may be extended if significant discussion is ongoing.

2. Voting Period

Transition: Following sufficient discussion, a proposal can be moved to a formal vote.
Venue: Voting takes place on the Stargate Snapshot Portal .
Eligibility: All veSTG holders (DAO members) are eligible to vote.
Initiation Requirement: To create a formal Snapshot vote, the initiator (or a delegate acting on their behalf) must possess at least 50,000 veSTG. If the original proposer lacks sufficient veSTG, they must find a community member who meets the requirement to sponsor the vote.
Duration: Proposals must remain open for voting for a minimum of 3 days.

3. Implementation Period

Approval Criteria: For a proposal vote to be considered successful and approved, it must meet two conditions:
- Quorum: A minimum of 1,500,000 veSTG must participate in the vote.
- Threshold: At least 70% of the participating veSTG must vote in favor (“For”) the proposal.
Outcome (Failure): If a vote fails to meet quorum or the approval threshold, the proposal is rejected. It cannot be submitted for a new vote for at least 14 days.
Outcome (Success): If the vote is approved, the proposal moves to implementation.
Implementation: Approved proposals are typically implemented by one of the DAO’s designated service providers. Currently, the primary providers are the Stargate Foundation and LayerZero Labs.