Decentralized Proposals and Voting Systems: Governance UX That Members Actually Use

A Handy Guide for Creating Onchain and Offchain Governance That Everyone Will Engage With

Playbook: Real-World Strategies for Engaging Governance

This playbook takes a deep dive into the actual strategies that are making waves on platforms like Ethereum, Optimism, Arbitrum, Solana, Polkadot, and Cosmos. Let’s check out the most effective ways to get folks engaged and buzzing about governance!

In this post, we're digging into how some amazing protocols are boosting turnout and making the whole execution process way more dependable. We’ll cover gasless voting, optimistic execution, detailed role assignments, a smoother experience for delegates, sybil resistance, and secure cross-chain messaging. And don’t miss out on a blueprint that you can have up and running in just 90 days!

TL;DR (description)

Decision-makers are not interested in just another basic overview of DAOs; they’re after a governance experience that genuinely engages people and does it in a safe way. This guide explores what’s working right now--think gasless voting, oSnap/SafeSnap, OpenZeppelin Governor upgrades, Optimism’s delegate UX, Polkadot’s conviction voting, and the enhancements in Solana Realms v2. Plus, it’ll show you how to put all of this into action with the right settings, safety precautions, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Why governance “participation” often stalls (and how to fix it)

Even the big names in the DAO scene struggle to get their token holders to vote regularly. Take ArbitrumDAO, for example. Their analytics for 2024-2025 show that participation in proposals often falls short across the board. We even notice some seasonal dips during major events like ETHDenver, but there's usually a nice bounce-back afterward. In March 2025, offchain participation jumped by 7.84%, while onchain participation saw a modest increase of 1.32%. Still, most proposals are trailing behind historical averages. This really underscores how crucial timing, user experience, and discovery are--just as much as the core ideology itself. (forum.arbitrum.foundation)

What Really Makes a Difference in Practice:

When it comes to making a real impact in practice, there are a few key factors that can turn the tide. Let's break it down:

1. Consistency is Key

Sticking to a routine can transform your day-to-day. Whether you’re training, studying, or working, being consistent helps build good habits.

2. Stay Open to Feedback

Feedback is like gold. Embracing constructive criticism can help you grow and improve your skills. So, don’t shy away from it!

3. Community Matters

Having a solid support system is huge. Surround yourself with people who inspire you and uplift your journey. Sharing experiences can lead to new insights.

4. Keep Learning

The world is always changing, and so should you. Whether it’s through books, online courses, or workshops, never stop expanding your knowledge.

5. Mindfulness and Self-Care

Don’t forget about taking care of yourself. Practicing mindfulness can boost your focus and creativity. Make sure to carve out time for relaxation and self-reflection in your routine.

6. Set Realistic Goals

Aim high but stay realistic. Setting achievable goals can keep you motivated and give you a sense of accomplishment as you tick them off your list.

7. Embrace the Journey

Remember, it’s not just about the destination. Enjoy the process and celebrate small wins along the way. They all add up!

By focusing on these aspects, you’ll likely notice a significant difference in your practice, and who knows? You might just unlock some new potential along the way!

Minimize friction to nearly zero (consider gasless flows, one-click delegation, and making ballots easy to use on mobile devices).
Meet users where they are (with straightforward delegate discovery, timely notifications, and a schedule that avoids busy conference weeks).
Ensure trust-minimized execution (by utilizing optimistic or oracle-backed execution, role-specific permissions, and timelocks).
Make it clear that hitting “Execute” is a smart move (through transaction simulations, setting up alerts and monitoring, and crafting rehearseable runbooks).

Offchain vs onchain governance: pick the right execution path

There’s definitely no perfect venue that suits everyone’s needs. The trick is finding a way to mix signaling, voting, and execution so that you keep things running smoothly while ensuring safety for your stage.

Offchain signaling + trustless execution: So, here’s the deal: you’ve got Snapshot paired with either SafeSnap from Reality.eth or oSnap from UMA. Snapshot is super user-friendly--think EIP-712 signatures and seamless wallet integration. SafeSnap kicks it up a notch, using Reality.eth to convert approved Snapshot proposals into Safe transactions after a brief cooldown and a little Q&A bonding. On the flip side, UMA’s oSnap relies on an optimistic oracle to achieve similar goals, but it has different security setups and some cool automated features. Want to dive deeper? Check out the details here: (docs.snapshot.box).
Fully onchain: If you want to stick to the tried-and-true methods, the OpenZeppelin Governor (featuring Tally and Agora interfaces) has got you covered with timelocks and nifty smart counting/compatibility options. This configuration is pretty much the gold standard across EVM ecosystems and plays nice with advanced delegation tools. Check it out here: (blog.openzeppelin.com).
Non‑EVM options with solid UX:
- Solana’s Realms (SPL Governance) gives you a smooth experience with fully on-chain proposals and treasury management, all wrapped up in a user-friendly interface that works great on mobile, too. Take a look here: (docs.realms.today).
- Polkadot OpenGov is all about conviction voting and lets you delegate multiple roles for each track, which is awesome for those complex decision-making scenarios. You can learn more about it here: (wiki.polkadot.com).
- Cosmos/AEZ (think Neutron) takes advantage of DAO DAO contracts and Interchain Accounts, making cross-chain actions smooth. Plus, it’s increasingly aligning with Hub governance. Check it out here: (docs.neutron.org).

If you’re new to this, it’s a good idea to start with offchain and trustless execution. But when you have some key protocol controls to keep an eye on or need to gather votes for upgrades, it’s definitely time to move things onchain with Governor.

UX patterns that increase real participation

1) Gasless voting where it matters

ENS has just introduced gasless voting on Tally, and they’re being pretty smart about it to avoid any funny business. Here’s the deal: to participate, you need to have your primary ENS name set up, there’s a minimum amount of delegated voting power you have to meet, and each wallet can only cast a handful of votes each year. It’s a straightforward, repeatable plan: budget for a relayer, establish the eligibility rules, set some limits on how many votes can be cast, and then do an annual check-up. For all the nitty-gritty details, you can check it out here: (discuss.ens.domains)

How to Roll Out Quickly:

Create a relayer budget that reflects the number of proposals you think will come in, probably around 8 to 12 each year sounds about right.
Whitelist those voting contracts and chains, and don’t forget to update the budgets automatically every quarter.
Add some “Vote Free” options in the UI, and keep an eye on the “remaining sponsored votes” so users stay informed.

2) Delegation that people actually use

Optimism's vote client, Agora, is really upping its game with some exciting updates! They've made delegation discovery a breeze with new banners, handy filtering options (like checking out who’s got the most or least voting power, as well as who’s been delegating lately), and quicker access to voter pages. This should definitely help you sort out that “who should I pick?” question. Plus, they're rolling out seasonal rewards to shine a spotlight on the delegates who are truly active. Take a look here: (vote.optimism.io).
Over on EVM, OpenZeppelin just dropped some cool new features: GovernorCountingOverridable and VotesExtended (coming on January 10, 2025). This awesome addition lets token holders override their delegate's vote while it's still ongoing--definitely a game-changer for those tricky proposals. Don’t forget to integrate this into your new Governor deployments! You can check out more details here: (openzeppelin.com).

Checklist:

Always keep the “Delegate now” prompts visible for addresses that haven’t been delegated yet.
Be sure to show delegate positions, their track records, any conflicts, and their office hours.
When it makes sense, allow mid-vote overrides at the contract level.

3) Trustless execution without signer bottlenecks

SafeSnap (Reality.eth) and oSnap (UMA) are making it super easy to get Snapshot votes done:
- SafeSnap: Here’s the scoop: it requires a minimum bond, a cooldown period that’s over 24 hours, and some well-set Reality.eth settings. Once you’ve got all that sorted, anyone can swoop in to execute the vote once it resolves. Want to dig deeper? Check it out here: (docs.snapshot.box).
- oSnap: With oSnap, the UMA bots stake a bond with their Optimistic Oracle. If there’s no pushback, those transactions can roll right through! The default gas limit is around 500,000 per bundle (but feel free to adjust it if you’ve got a big operation in mind). Fun tidbit: the Gitcoin DAO switched to oSnap for treasury payouts in 2024, which helped streamline their processes and made things easier for signers. Get more info here: (docs.uma.xyz).

Security Must-Haves for SafeSnap/oSnap

Stay updated on module events, such as ProposalQuestionCreated, and ensure that you're setting those question timeouts to a solid 48 hours or more, along with decent bond amounts. It’s also smart for the avatar to have veto power via markProposalInvalid as a backup option. For more info, take a look here.

4) Identity and sybil resistance without KYC walls

The “Human Passport” (formerly known as Gitcoin Passport) is making some exciting updates with features like ML-based model scoring, cluster analysis, and on-chain stamp minting (including Base). They’ve also introduced periodic stamp reweighting to keep things fair and minimize the risk of system manipulation. This technology has already been effectively utilized in Gitcoin’s latest rounds and various airdrops. You can tap into it for managing proposal creation and tweaking voting weights during the signaling phases. Check it out here!
World ID is rolling out some cool pilots with their “one human, one vote” experiments (World Vote), using verified human credentials. These are great for running parallel “temperature check” experiments, especially when there’s a greater chance of sybil attacks happening. For more details, check it out here!

Practical Guardrail:

Don't just depend on a single stamp. Try to establish a threshold that covers several stamps or work with a model score percentile. It’s wise to change up the stamp weights every three months to reduce the chances of overfitting.

5) Scheduling and proposal hygiene

It looks like participation tends to take a hit during big events in the ecosystem. A great example of this was Arbitrum in February 2025, where we saw a decline linked to both ETHDenver and some issues with a wallet front-end. To help with this, it’s smart to avoid scheduling voting windows that overlap with conferences. It’s best to aim for a window of at least 5-7 days for more complicated proposals. And hey, how about offering pre-bundled “yes/no” impact summaries to make things easier? Check out more details on this forum.arbitrum.foundation.

Execution safety patterns that build confidence

Tweak execution power with Zodiac Roles. You can hand out specific, on-chain roles to various modules or agents. This gives you the power to limit function selectors, parameters, and rate limits, making sure that the “execute” action sticks to what tokenholders have laid out. And the coolest thing? It’s super easy to attach to Safe and plays well with SDK and subgraph tools. Take a look here: (zodiac.wiki).
Add delay and veto layers. Throwing in a Delay modifier or timelock is a smart move. It offers folks the opportunity to intervene if things take a turn for the worse. You can also maintain a more specific emergency veto, like the markProposalInvalid in the Reality module, which has clear-cut conditions. Check out more details here: (zodiac.wiki).
Simulate before you execute. OpenZeppelin Defender is here to help with pre-execution simulations and governance monitors that keep you informed via Slack or Telegram alerts. I’d suggest linking these simulations with a runbook for each big proposal--better safe than sorry, right? Check it out here: (forum.openzeppelin.com).
Minority protections. For certain organizations, using ragequit or fork patterns--like the Moloch-style “right to exit” or Nouns Fork--can be a game-changer. It gives minority members the option to cash out their share instead of getting bogged down in ongoing disagreements. Just keep in mind to use this tactic sparingly; it’s a great safety net to have. If you want to dive deeper, check it out here: (molochdao.com).

Patterns by ecosystem (with exact knobs to turn)

Ethereum mainnet and L2s (EVM)

For signaling + execution:
- Snapshot + SafeSnap (Reality.eth)
  - Set the minimumBond based on your treasury’s value-at-risk. A good rule of thumb is to shoot for about 0.1-1% of the median proposal transfer.
  - Make sure the questionTimeout is set to at least 48 hours, and don’t skip the 24-hour cooldown. Plus, enabling answer expiration is key to avoiding any pesky zombie executions. (docs.snapshot.box)
- Snapshot + oSnap (UMA)
  - Try to keep each proposal’s gas usage under ~500k. If that’s tough, consider breaking them down into smaller batches.
  - Keep an eye on those UMA bonds and challenge windows, and don’t forget to watch out for those execution bots. Gitcoin has been using this method for their distributions. (docs.uma.xyz)
For a fully on-chain experience:
- OpenZeppelin Governor v5.2
  - You’ll want to add GovernorCountingOverridable along with VotesExtended for those nifty mid-vote overrides.
  - If you're making the switch, consider using GovernorTimelockControl or some compatible variants with Compound.
  - Don't forget to peek at the CAIP utilities for multi-chain IDs and the ERC-4337/7579 helpers as you dive into smart accounts. They've even got some cool cross-chain governance modules on the roadmap! (openzeppelin.com)
- Tally for gasless voting if your budget allows (the ENS example is pretty solid). (discuss.ens.domains)
- Delegation UX through Agora/Tally; it’ll automatically remind folks about any wallets that haven't been delegated yet. (vote.optimism.io)
Cross-chain governance messaging:
- Uniswap's journey shows the importance of being strategic when it comes to choosing bridges and evaluating committees. In the end, they decided to go with Wormhole, and later on, they also considered Axelar after some more assessment. If you ever find yourself in a position where you need to manage governance across different chains, it’s smart to have a mix of providers or stick to standards like ERC-7786 adapters when they're on the table. (theblock.co)

Optimism Collective

Approval voting, mission-driven funding seasons, and our cool dual houses (Token + Citizens’) all create some unique user experience needs. If you want to explore better delegate discovery and those seasonal retro rewards that keep delegates on their toes, check out Agora’s client at vote.optimism.io. Just a heads up: be sure to plan your cycles carefully to avoid any event overlaps, and remember to share proposal summaries that are clear, concise, and easy to understand. (optimism.grant3.co)

Arbitrum DAO

Expect some fluctuations in voter turnout; use forum analytics to pinpoint the best times for voting. Combine relayer subsidies for significant votes with targeted communications. If there are any hiccups with the front-end or wallets, it might be a good idea to standardize extended voting periods. (forum.arbitrum.foundation)

Solana (Realms / SPL Governance)

Realms v2 is focused on cranking up the speed, making everything mobile-friendly, and serving as a centralized hub for all things proposals and treasury management. We're also excited to introduce some neat integrations, like Civic Pass for proposal and voting eligibility, plus Dialect notifications. It's crucial that we maintain consistency with our proposal types (like executable versus signaling) and clearly outline what happens when a proposal gets approved. For more info, take a look here!

Polkadot OpenGov

How about we leverage conviction voting to give stronger preferences, like time-locked tokens, a bigger impact? Plus, letting people delegate based on specific tracks opens the door for everyone to participate comfortably, even if they're not experts. It's crucial to clearly outline how approval and support curves differ in the user interface. (wiki.polkadot.com)

Cosmos / AEZ (e.g., Neutron)

Combine DAO DAO-style modular governance with Interchain Accounts for smooth cross-chain experiences. It’s super important to highlight which actions are happening locally and which are remote. Don’t forget to include a “Chain Manager” map in your proposals; this way, everyone can see the impact clearly. Stay updated on ecosystem changes (like Neutron’s 2025 “Mercury” sovereignty shift) and ensure you're aligned with any upstream governance changes that might affect your security model. Check out the details over at (docs.neutron.org).

A 90‑day rollout blueprint (what we implement for clients)

Week 0-2: Baseline, Intent, and Risk

Let's prioritize what's urgent and what can take a back seat for now. We should map out the controls for different venues--think about linking changes in parameters to the Governor and grants to Snapshot+oSnap.
We need to figure out some identity verification methods. We could look into the Human Passport model with score thresholds, or even experiment with World ID to verify “one human” status temporarily. Check it out here: (passport.human.tech).
It’s important to clearly define our emergency powers and keep them limited. This covers stuff like Reality's markProposalInvalid, the Governor’s timelock delay, and the Zodiac Delay/Roles. If you want a deeper dive, take a look at this link: (zodiac.wiki).

Week 3-5: Ship the Stack

Get Safe and Zodiac Roles set up and running! Just remember to assign roles according to treasury functions, and don’t forget to set some parameter limits and rate caps. For a deeper dive, check out the details here.
Create a Snapshot space and remember to toss in either the SafeSnap or oSnap plugin. It’s also a good idea to set up bonds and cooldowns, plus put together some useful operator runbooks for future reference. You can find more details here.
If you decide to go the on-chain way, make sure to deploy OpenZeppelin Governor v5.2. Don’t forget to add override support, set up a timelock, and link it up with Tally/Agora. You can find all the details here.

Week 6-8: Participation Levers

How about we make gasless voting a reality for our key proposals? We’ll establish a budget and set some eligibility criteria, and we’ll also add “Delegate now” banners and filters to streamline the process. You can find all the details here: (discuss.ens.domains).
Let’s throw in some alerts and monitors too--tools like OpenZeppelin Defender or an open-source monitor can help us track those proposal lifecycle events. Also, don’t forget to run some simulations before we queue or execute any actions. You can find more details here: (docs.openzeppelin.com).

Week 9-12: Prove and Iterate

Carry out two proposals from beginning to end: one offchain that ensures trustless execution, and the other onchain that utilizes simulation.
After that, share the results and a postmortem. Then, tweak the bonds, cooldowns, gas budgets, and stamp weights as necessary.

KPIs that predict long‑term health (and real-world benchmarks)

Votable supply delegated: Let’s shoot for getting 50-70% of the circulating governance power delegated during the first year. We should definitely give those undecided wallets a little nudge when they log in to remind them.
Unique voters per proposal and median time-to-quorum: Make it a point to check in on this weekly and try to avoid any scheduling conflicts (like how Arbitrum experienced a dip around ETHDenver). You can find more about it in the February report.
Delegate responsiveness: We’re aiming for over 70% participation from the top 100 delegates (Optimism thinks this is a good benchmark too). And don’t forget to roll out a quarterly scorecard for our delegates; it’ll keep everyone accountable! Check it out at Optimism's governance site.
Execution reliability: The goal here is to have zero failed execution steps in each proposal bundle after simulation. For SafeSnap/oSnap, it’s awesome to report that there were no unresolved Reality/UMA disputes in the last quarter. More info is available on the Zodiac wiki.

Governance mechanics that are winning in 2025

Mid-vote override (OpenZeppelin): This awesome feature tackles that pesky problem of “I don’t see eye to eye with my delegate.” From now on, it’ll be automatically included in new Governor setups. Take a look here.
Approval voting: This is the cool system where you can vote for more than one winner! It’s been used in projects like Optimism Seasons, and people really seem to vibe with it. You can check out the details here.
Smart-account friendly flows: Modular smart accounts like ERC‑7579 and the support for ERC‑4337 are starting to show up in mainstream libraries. This means we now have some exciting new possibilities for session keys, gas sponsorships, and enhanced permission settings in governance UIs. If you want to dig deeper into this, check it out here.
Cross‑chain messaging standardization: The ERC‑7786 and Axelar adapters are teaming up in the OpenZeppelin community contracts, paving the way for a more secure way to handle cross-chain governance. It's a great time to get ready and skip the hassle of building bridges from the ground up. Check out more details here.

Quick compares: SafeSnap vs oSnap (operator view)

Trust Model
- SafeSnap: This one’s got your back with oracle resolution using Reality.eth, plus it includes bonds and arbitrators. You get to choose the bond size, timeout, and cooldown, so it's super flexible. If you're into having straightforward, bond-weighted dispute windows, this is a solid choice. Take a closer look here.
- oSnap: This one's an optimistic oracle where anyone can jump in and challenge things. Thanks to UMA bots, the submission and execution processes are fully automated. It boasts lower daily operating costs and keeps those pesky gas fees for each bundle nice and manageable. Plus, the Gitcoin DAO is already using it for their distributions. You can find more info here.
Operator Tips
- With both systems, it’s crucial to stay on top of events and put together a “challenge policy.” Don’t forget to give a heads-up about execution windows beforehand, simplify complicated bundles into more manageable pieces, and run some simulations to stay prepared.

Brief chain-specific examples with precise details

ENS DAO: As of April 2024, voting on Tally is now gasless! Thanks to policy gates, you only need to have a primary name and at least 100 ENS voting power. Plus, there's a limit of 8 votes every 12 months. This setup really simplifies the voting process and keeps the relayer from getting overwhelmed with spam. Check out more details here.
Gitcoin DAO: In 2024, they made a move to change their treasury payments to oSnap. According to reports from UMA, oSnap is locking down hundreds of millions in treasuries. What’s the result? Faster payouts and way less hassle with signer escalations. (blog.uma.xyz)
Optimism: On June 4, 2025, they launched delegate discovery and filtering. This feature pairs nicely with retro participation rewards, helping active delegates feel valued and increasing the chances they'll stick around. Check it out here: (vote.optimism.io)
Polkadot OpenGov: Getting the hang of Split/Abstain is crucial, and they’re working on clearer explanations for conviction locks right in the UI to help reduce those pesky support tickets. They’re also pushing for delegating to domain experts depending on the specific tracks. (wiki.polkadot.com)
Solana Realms: They've introduced Civic Pass gating for making proposals or voting, which adds an extra layer of security against sybil attacks that your DAO might need. And hey, make sure to use Dialect notifications to keep mobile users updated on important windows! (docs.realms.today)

Governance UX anti‑patterns to avoid

When you have a "catch-all" multisig execution without clear roles, things can get messy pretty fast. To avoid any hiccups from a small oversight, be sure to implement Zodiac Roles. Check it out here: (zodiac.wiki).
Unsanctioned proposal bundles can be a bit of a gamble. It’s smart to run some simulations on a testnet or a mainnet fork and share what you find. And remember, having a second signer to validate the simulation results is a must! More details here: (forum.openzeppelin.com).
Voting during major conferences or rollouts can make it tough to engage everyone. Just take a look at Arbitrum’s monthly voting trends--timing your votes with significant events can really make a difference. Dive into the details here: (forum.arbitrum.foundation).
Putting all your eggs in one basket when it comes to cross-chain transactions is pretty risky. The landscape for governance bridges is always shifting, and Uniswap’s committee has started supporting various providers that are currently being evaluated. Keeping your options open is definitely the way to go! Check it out here: (theblock.co).

The 7Block Labs checklist (cut and ship)

Venue Plan: Let's take a moment to chat about the proposals currently on Snapshot, especially SafeSnap and oSnap, and how they stack up against Governor.
Delegate UX: We're all about enhancing the experience with better banners, filters, and profiles. Plus, we're also thinking about adding mid-vote override options in contracts. For the full scoop, check this out here.
Gasless Policy: We’re diving into the relayer budget and eligibility rules, while also making some tweaks to the UI for a smoother ride. If you want to learn more, swing by this link: Gasless Voting is Live for ENS.
Identity Gates: We’re rolling out a Human Passport model score that comes with rotating stamps. Plus, we’ll have a schedule for reweighting coming your way. You can read more about it here.
Execution Guardrails: This is all about setting up the right roles, delays, and timelocks, along with a handy playbook for marking proposals as invalid. You can get the details on Zodiac.
Monitoring: We’re gearing up to use Defender or an open-source Monitor to keep tabs on propose/queue/execute actions, plus we’ll have incident runbooks for better management. For more information, check it out here.
Calendar Discipline: We’re planning to carve out some do-not-vote weeks around major events and set minimum review windows. On top of that, we want to make sure our proposal templates are straightforward and consistent, clearly referencing the specific function calls that will be executed. You can find the nitty-gritty details on this at Arbitrum Governance Analytics.

Final thought

Governance UX really hits its stride when everything feels predictable, voting is seamless, and safety measures are easy to understand. Start with those small but impactful adjustments--like gasless transactions for key votes, a straightforward delegation process, and trustless execution. Then, add in those safety nets that we all hope we won’t need. If you’re on the lookout for a partner to help you get this whole system up and running, 7Block Labs has got you covered. They can set up these architectures across EVM, Solana, Polkadot, and Cosmos, all while making sure you have clear metrics for participation and safety.