10 ♠ · Strategy · Draft
Vote Decay
Voting power shrinks over time unless the holder renews it, so stale or idle votes count for less.
How it works
Each holder's voting power has a value and a clock. The DAO picks a decay rule: a fixed drop per week, a half-life, or a slide toward zero as a token lock nears its end. The clock runs whenever the trigger condition holds, for example when the holder skips votes. Power falls by the rule until the holder acts, such as by voting, relocking, or renewing membership. That action resets the clock or tops the power back up. Over time, weight moves toward active members and away from forgotten wallets.
Use it when
- You want current, active members to hold more weight than early holders who left.
- Reward long commitment without making that commitment permanent.
- Stop lost or abandoned wallets from blocking quorum forever.
Watch out for
- Members vote on everything just to keep their power, which adds noise, not judgment.
- A decay rate set too fast punishes members who take a short break.
Example
Curve Finance. Since August 2020, Curve's veCRV voting power has slid toward zero as each lock nears its end date, unless the holder extends the lock.