Everything you need to understand Cardano governance — from delegation to treasury.
Cardano uses on-chain governance where ADA holders can vote on protocol changes, treasury spending, and constitutional amendments through elected representatives.
Explore representativesYou delegate your ADA's voting power to a DRep (Delegated Representative) who votes on your behalf. Your ADA never leaves your wallet — you're lending governance weight, not money.
Find your DRepGovernance actions include treasury withdrawals, parameter changes, hard forks, and constitutional updates. Each requires approval from DReps, stake pools, and the Constitutional Committee.
Browse proposalsCardano governance has three pillars: DReps (citizen representatives), SPOs (stake pool operators), and the Constitutional Committee. Major decisions need approval from multiple bodies.
View the CommitteeThe Cardano treasury is funded by transaction fees and monetary expansion. Governance proposals can request treasury withdrawals to fund ecosystem projects — your DRep's vote decides.
See the PulseGovernance quorum requirements mean your delegation matters. Without enough active participation, critical proposals can stall. Every delegated ADA strengthens the system.
Get startedA Delegated Representative — an on-chain agent who casts governance votes on behalf of ADA holders who delegate to them.
When you delegate to a DRep, your ADA's voting weight amplifies their voice in every governance decision.
A fixed 5-day period on the Cardano blockchain after which rewards are distributed and governance snapshots are taken.
Epochs are the heartbeat of Cardano — rewards, delegation snapshots, and governance deadlines all align to epoch boundaries.
The act of assigning your ADA's voting power to a DRep without transferring ownership of your ADA.
Delegating costs nothing and doesn't move your ADA — it just amplifies a representative's governance voice with your weight.
An on-chain proposal submitted to the Cardano governance system — covering treasury withdrawals, protocol parameter changes, hard forks, and constitutional amendments.
Governance actions are how Cardano's rules get changed. They require approval from DReps, stake pools, and the Constitutional Committee.
The total ADA delegated to a DRep, measured in lovelace (1 ADA = 1,000,000 lovelace), representing their weighted influence on governance outcomes.
Voting power determines how much weight a DRep's vote carries. High voting power doesn't mean high quality.
A DRep's on-chain or off-chain explanation of why they voted a particular way on a governance action.
Rationales turn votes from yes/no signals into accountable positions — essential for informed delegation.
Governada's composite 0–100 governance quality score, combining Engagement Quality (35%), Effective Participation (25%), Reliability (25%), and Governance Identity (15%).
The DRep Score isn't about voting power — it measures governance discipline, transparency, and engagement quality.
A six-level classification of governance quality: Emerging (0–39), Bronze (40–54), Silver (55–69), Gold (70–84), Diamond (85–94), Legendary (95–100).
Tiers translate percentile scores into memorable, comparable labels that make governance quality scannable at a glance.
The on-chain ADA reserve — funded by transaction fees and monetary expansion — that finances Cardano ecosystem development via governance-approved withdrawals.
The Cardano treasury holds billions in ADA. Every withdrawal requires governance approval from DReps, pools, and the Constitutional Committee.
An elected body of representatives responsible for ensuring governance actions are constitutional before they can be enacted.
The Constitutional Committee is one of three governance bodies. Their approval (alongside DReps and stake pools) is required for most governance actions.
A protocol upgrade that requires all nodes to update software. On Cardano, hard forks are approved through the governance system.
Hard forks are the highest-stakes governance actions — they literally change how Cardano works at the protocol level.
The minimum percentage of active voting stake required for a governance action to be considered valid — varies by proposal type.
Quorum prevents a small group from passing governance actions when most of the network isn't paying attention.