xGov Guide
How to become an xGov and how to use the xGov Portal
xGov and Governance: What’s the difference?
Algorand Community Governance comprises two programs: xGov and Governance. The programs differ in terms of participant eligibility and the measures that participants are required to vote on. Anyone can participate in Governance, while xGovs must have participated in at least one Governance Period (GP) before joining the xGov program under the current rules. Both xGovs and Governors play important roles in decision-making; however, the proposals put to xGovs will require more understanding, research, and discussion before casting a vote.
The xGov program marks an evolution of Algorand Community Governance, and its first iteration aims to create an expert layer of governors who have a deep understanding of the blockchain’s inner workings and the realities of the Algorand community. xGovs will be required to apply their acumen to funding decisions, including grant applications, that align with our mission of growing the Algorand ecosystem.
xGovs must commit their Governance Rewards for a 12-month Term, while Governors must commit their tokens for a 3-month GP. Both xGovs and Governors must vote in every session during their respective commitment periods in order to maintain their program eligibility.
If a Governor fails to vote, they forfeit their rewards, but their committed tokens are not affected.
If an xGov fails to vote, even once through the 12-month Term, they forfeit their token deposit. The forfeited deposits remain in the Term Pool and are distributed among eligible xGovs participating in the same Pool.
Find out more: ARC-33: Becoming an xGov.
Governance
xGov
Token commitment period
3 months
12 months
Voting sessions
Every GP
Quarterly
Must vote in every session?
Yes
Yes
Failure to vote results in
Loss of Governance Rewards
Loss of Governance Rewards deposit
How xGov and Governance work together
This diagram demonstrates the link between xGov and Governance. If you opt to become an xGov in GP7, your GP7 rewards deposit will be added to Term Pool 1 (TP1), which runs alongside GPs 8 to 11. These rewards are locked for 12 months: The rewards locked in TP1 at the start of July 2023 will be released just after June 30, 2024. If you remain eligible, you will then receive a payout from Term Pool 1.
A Governor can opt to become an xGov multiple times, having their Governance Rewards deposited into the respective Term Pools. Each time, these deposits can be redeemed after 12 months. Committing more Algo to Governance will increase your Governance Rewards, leading to a higher rewards deposit and xGov Voting Power (xGVP, the number of Algo an xGov can use to vote).
How to become an xGov
To be eligible for the xGov program, you must opt to become an xGov on the Governance Portal at the start of the GP. You must first be a Governor before becoming an xGov. Once you are an xGov, you can choose to participate in subsequent GPs alongside the xGov program.
See dates for upcoming Governance periods.
The rewards you accrue from Governance are deposited into the xGov Term Pool following the end of the GP. This rewards deposit equates to your xGVP. This Pool is locked for 12 months while the xGov Term is in session.
While you opt into xGov at the start of a GP, you are not classified as an xGov until your Governance Rewards are deposited in an xGov Term Pool. This is the action that marks the start of your xGov tenure.
Not ready to be an xGov? Learn how to participate in Governance.
Your responsibilities as an xGov
Vote in every session: Once you have opted in, your tokens are locked for 12 months, and you must vote in every session in order to redeem your deposited Algo. As an xGov, if you fail to vote, you will lose your xGov status and forfeit your share of Algo in the Term Pool (or Term Pools, if you joined more than one Term Pool).
Stay informed: Proposals can be found on the GitHub xGov Proposals Repository. You may not be an expert on all of the issues that xGovs are required to vote on, so it’s important to DYOR ahead of voting.
Join the discussion: Review proposals with fellow xGovs on GitHub and the Algorand forum. Anyone can read the discussion, but you will need to make an account on each of these platforms in order to leave comments. Governance discussion also takes place on Algorand’s Discord in the 🏛️| Governance channel.
Submit proposals (optional): Anyone can submit a proposal on the GitHub xGov Proposals Repository. Watch how to submit a proposal.
For important Governance dates, check the main Governance page.
Introducing the xGov Portal
As an xGov, you can vote and view your xGov status through the xGov Portal by connecting the Algorand wallet you used for Governance when you opted into the xGov Program.
xGov Status Page: https://xgov.algorand.foundation/status
xGov Portal: https://xgov.algorand.foundation
This newly developed web portal is our xGov minimum viable product (MVP). It comprises a smart contract that manages the voting sessions and records the results on-chain, and an xGov status page that displays Term Pool balances and voting history.
We foresee this MVP being online at least for the duration of Term Pool 1 (ending June 30, 2024), as we collect data and work with the xGovs to develop a more robust version that is tailored to the needs of our community. This information will be laid out in ARC-33 (Becoming an xGov) and ARC-34 (xGov Proposal Process).
How to navigate the dashboard
To view the xGov dashboard, you first need to connect your wallet. (Note: If you connect your wallet but are not an xGov or connect the wrong wallet, no data will appear.)
Once your wallet is successfully connected, your xGov stats will appear on the dashboard.
You will be able to see:
- Your xGov deposit (the previous GP rewards)
- Upcoming voting sessions
- A Term Pools summary
- Information about maintaining xGov eligibility
How to vote on xGov Proposals
Proposals will appear on the voting dashboard during each xGov voting session.
You will be required to allocate votes as percentages in the allocation boxes beside the Proposals. Once the voting allocation reaches 100%, it will be possible to click the “Submit” button.
By clicking “Submit”, your wallet will prompt you to approve the transaction and pay the transaction fee. Approve the transaction in order to cast your vote.
In this version of the xGov Portal, you can only vote ONCE, and votes cannot be changed after the transaction is signed.
xGov Portal roadmap
July 2023: MVP live on mainnet
- Proposal submission on GitHub for voting session 1 of TP1
- Launch of basic portal UX
- One vote per session
- Percentage vote only
- Manual batch payments
- Basic wallets integration
July 2024: Launch of xGov portal V1
(To be confirmed, pending community discussion and budget.)
- Comprehensive UX, including:
- ~~Proposal sorting by category
- ~~Value toggle: mAlgo to Algo (with rounding)
- ~~Vote toggle: Percentage vote and quantity vote
- ~~More wallet integrations
- ~~More voting stats
- Integration of proposal submission and management