How to vote on a governance action
How DReps cast votes on Cardano governance actions, what Yes, No and Abstain mean, and how to publish a rationale for each vote.
If you are a registered DRep, voting is a single transaction per governance action. There are 2 actions open for voting right now, and 155 on record in total.
- Registered DReps
- 625
- Governance actions
- 155
- Open for voting
- 2
- Enacted
- 81
The three options
- Yes — you support the action and your voting power counts toward the approval threshold.
- No — you oppose it, and your voting power counts against.
- Abstain — your voting power is removed from the threshold calculation entirely rather than counting as a No. Use it when you have a conflict of interest or genuinely no view.
Casting the vote
- Open the governance action you want to vote on.
- Connect the wallet holding your DRep credential.
- Choose Yes, No or Abstain.
- Optionally write a rationale explaining your reasoning — this is published alongside your vote.
- Sign and submit. Your vote is recorded on-chain and visible immediately.
Why rationale matters
A vote without reasoning tells your delegators what you did but not why. Rationale is what lets someone decide whether to keep trusting you with their voting power, and it is the difference between representing people and merely holding their stake.
Changing your vote
You can vote again on the same governance action before the voting period ends; the most recent vote is the one that counts. Once the action expires or is enacted, the record is final.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Abstain mean in Cardano governance?
- Abstaining removes your voting power from the threshold calculation rather than counting it as opposition. It records you as having participated without taking a side.
- Can a DRep change their vote?
- Yes, until the voting period for that governance action closes. The most recent vote is the one that counts.