Polkadot Voting Collectives: Decentralization or Centralization?

@Polkadot is known for being an innovative chain with unique aspects such as its consensus, shared security, and Governance. Let's dig into the collective voting system.

Since the transition from Gov1 to Gov2, all DOT holders can vote freely or delegate their tokens for collectives to vote, controversies involving the treasury have increased exponentially.

https://twitter.com/pitcoin%5F/status/1670453073733459969

One famous collective in the eco is @ChaosDAO - a community of influential and active agents in the @Polkadot eco who have experience analyzing proposals and making decisions. Most collective votes are disclosed via Twitter, and each member can vote with the collective or not.

Validators in the ecosystem also receive delegations of large amounts of tokens and justify their votes via Twitter - another form of collective voting. Among them, we can mention @saxemberg and @paranodes as two ethical and highly active entities in the ecosystem.

Recently, one of the most active actors in the ecosystem, @giottod, proposed the creation of Koala DAO, to form a collective for voting to stimulate discussions and increase the strength of collective votes.

https://twitter.com/giottodf/status/1760528249350750562

Koala DAO is crafted around reaching consensus by agreeing to make a compromise on particular elements of the proposals to not make binary decisions on proposals that could be modified, elevated, or negotiated.

https://t.me/koaladao

The formation of collectives for voting is an interesting tool that stimulates discussions and strengthens the power of collective voting. However, the individual voices within the ecosystem must be valued and not diminished in the face of collective movements.

Questioning the motives of other members' votes demonstrates that if only one voting option is deemed valid, there is no reason for a referendum to exist - especially with accusations of "malicious voting."

https://twitter.com/giottodf/status/1760389217509675317/photo/1

@gavofyork: By empowering users to act for themselves within low-barrier markets, we can ensure censorship and monopolization have fewer places to hide.

https://twitter.com/pitcoin%5F/status/1622557905315667969

And where does the limit of vote delegation end? How ethical is it to buy and sell votes?

Even in IRL democratic systems, buying/selling votes is considered a crime, why replicate a corrupt, centralizing model that can act to the benefit of a few interested parties, putting the entire ecosystem and chain in question?

https://twitter.com/stakenode%5Fdev/status/1760693298300141696

It is necessary to ensure that voting collectives are not centralizing the voting power in the hands of a few individuals)... Otherwise, we will be replicating the current model of "false democracy".

In this regard, @Web3foundation created the Decentralized Voices Program to allow more people to be significantly involved in OpenGov by delegating 180,000 KSM and 42 million DOT worth of voting power to active voters in the ecosystem.

https://medium.com/web3foundation/decentralized-voices-program-93623c27ae43

Every three months, Web3 Foundation will delegate its own DOT and KSM to individual voters who are avid and thoughtful contributors to governance, through both on-chain voting and off-chain interactions.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIFOhMfoqRoeYqr1c%5F-UeB2a6u0YEsi9CaNEEeUAXtN0oE3w/viewform?usp=sf%5Flink&lsrp=1

OpenGov.Watch is a recent initiative that received a Decentralized Futures grant from the @Web3foundation and aims to revolutionize #Polkadot's governance operations and culture.

Through regular reports and initiatives, http://OpenGov.Watch empowers participants to stay informed, find consensus, and coordinate on projects that drive our community forward.

https://twitter.com/alice%5Fund%5Fbob/status/1760787040570912957

The Open Gov Watch will provide regular reports on referenda and governance proceedings, help governance participants stay informed, provide opportunities for collaboration and consensus, and coordinate projects.

https://twitter.com/Web3foundation/status/1760650801184186702