3 ♦ · Consensus · Draft
Approval Voting
Voters tick every option they can accept, and the option with the most ticks wins.
How it works
A proposal lists several options, such as candidates for a council or designs for a logo. Each member marks every option they approve of, from one to all of them. Every mark counts as one full vote for that option, with no ranking and no splitting of weight. When voting closes, the DAO adds up the marks for each option. The option with the most marks wins, or the top few win if several seats are open. Members are never forced to pick a single favorite.
Use it when
- Elect several people to a council or committee in one ballot.
- You have many similar options and want the broadly acceptable one, not the polarizing one.
- Reduce vote splitting between near-identical proposals.
Watch out for
- Voters who approve only one option gain power over voters who approve many.
- A bland option that nobody loves but everybody accepts can beat a strong favorite.
Example
Tezos. In Tezos on-chain governance, each baker can upvote up to 20 competing protocol proposals, and the proposal with the most upvotes advances to the next vote.