Constitution Vote - All you need to know
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In 2024, Intersect and its Cardano Civics Committee members facilitated a global community consultation process to draft the next Constitution.
The Cardano Civics Committee published a draft constitution as the starting point. Community members gathered in 63 different workshops to debate 15 open questions about the draft constitution.
Explore the open questions debated by all those pictured above at the Global Community Workshops here.
Each workshop elected a Constitutional Delegate and Alternate to represent them at the Constitutional Convention. At the convention, delegates debated and finalized the constitution text to be put on-chain for vote. 95% of the delegates approved the text.
Visit the event website for the Constitutional Convention. Watch highlights, see the delegates and more.
At the convention, the delegates acknowledged that there is still work to do. No constitution is perfect, but the Proposed Constitution is a significant improvement compared to the Interim Constitution currently in effect. Some of the major improvements are:
Rewritten preamble that is brief and captures the essence of the community’s values.
10 tenets to guide Cardano development, including an ada supply cap of 45Bn.
A new article devoted to the Cardano Ecosystem Budget. While not locking in any specific budget process, the article sets the expectation for an annual budget, which may be one aggregate or multiple budgets overseen by one or more administrators.
Sets certain expectations of Delegated Representatives (DReps), Stake Pool Operators (SPOs) and the Constitutional Committee (CC) as they engage in voting - Codes of Conduct with ethical guidelines and disclosure of voting in more than one role.
Allows, but does not require, compensation for DReps and CC members.
As approved by ada owners, CC members can be reimbursed for administrative costs.
Additional clarity and safeguards related to the CC.
States that the Constitution is a living document, outlining how it can be amended.
Even with these improvements, the delegates identified critical work yet to be done. Read a summary here: Prioritized Governance Workstreams for 2025.pdf
Read the constitution text, as approved by delegates at the convention. This matches the text proposed in the on-chain Constitution governance action.
Delegate Endorsed Cardano Constitution
Translations
These versions of the Cardano Constitution have been translated with generous support from various community members and organizations. However, only the version that matches the on-chain hash is the official Cardano Constitution.
If you want to better understand the background, rationale, or meaning of the text, read these explainer documents.
Supplemental information for the Constitution text
Technical Rationale for the Cardano Blockchain Guardrails Appendix
The delegate approved constitution will be put on-chain as a governance action for community vote. The infographics below explain how governance actions work.
Ada owners who do not want to actively vote on governance actions can select a DRep.
DReps can be selected by connecting to Gov.Tool with your wallet.
Some wallets enable DRep selection natively - log into your wallet to find out.
Intersect maintains a list of wallets that support delegation. More wallets are regularly added to the list, so if your wallet is not on the list today, you can check back later or use one of the compatible wallets with your wallet's recovery phrase.
Ada held by a third party, for example on an exchange, generally cannot be delegated to a DRep by the account holder at this point. If moved to a self-custody wallet, the options above then apply.
Many regular DReps are available to choose from. You can differentiate DReps based on their published profile, voting stances, existing ada delegation, and whether they have published a Code of Conduct or voting procedures.
For reference, here is a draft Code of Conduct produced by members of the community.
Ada owners who wish to cast their own vote or to also campaign for delegation must become a DRep.
Register as a DReps by connecting to Gov.Tool with your wallet.
Some wallets enable DRep registration natively - log into your wallet to find out.
Intersect maintains a list of wallets that support delegation. More wallets are regularly added to the list, so if your wallet is not on the list today, you can check back later or use one of the compatible wallets with your wallet's recovery phrase.
Ada held by a third party, for example on an exchange, generally cannot be used to register a DRep at this point. If moved to a self-custody wallet, the options above then apply.
In-depth information about becoming a DRep:
DRep Program Portuguese Interactive Qs
The Constitutional Delegates and Alternates elected by the global community workshop participants were involved in drafting the constitution and are a great resource to answer questions. Find your local Delegate
Does voting on the Plomin hard fork mean I’m implicitly approving the Constitution or a Cardano Budget? No, they are separate votes. The Plomin Hard Fork is a technical upgrade to the Cardano blockchain, while the Cardano Constitution is a governance document. Voting for the Plomin Hard Fork enables the "Update Constitution" governance action, allowing the new Constitution to be proposed and voted on separately.
What is the difference between the Plomin Hard Fork and the Cardano Constitution? The Plomin Hard Fork is a technical upgrade to the Cardano blockchain, while the Cardano Constitution is a governance document outlining the rules and processes for managing the network. The Plomin Hard Fork enables the "Update Constitution" governance action, allowing the new Constitution to be proposed and voted on separately.
Does the Plomin Hard Fork include the new delegate-approved Cardano Constitution? No, unlike the Chang Hard Fork, the currently proposed Hard Fork does not include an updated Constitution. Rather, this Hard Fork enables the “Update Constitution” governance action, which will allow for the new Constitution to be proposed as a separate governance action.
What version of the Cardano Constitution is being proposed? The Cardano Civics Committee (CCC) has officially recommended a new Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Constitution for on-chain ratification. The delegate-approved Constitution is available at this link with a blake2b-256 hash of 2a61e2f4b63442978140c77a70daab3961b22b12b63b13949a390c097214d1c5.
How was this version of the Cardano Constitution developed? Voted on and approved by 95% of elected Constitutional Delegates, this version reflects extensive community input gathered between July and December 2024—spanning 1,400 participants across 63 in-person workshops in 52 countries.
Does voting for the Constitution approve a net change limit for the treasury? No, although the Constitution calls for a net change limit to be defined, it leaves the specification of that limit up to the DReps via an info action.
Does voting for the Constitution approve the Cardano Budget(s)? No, although the Constitution requires Cardano Budget(s) to be created as a prerequisite for treasury withdrawals, it leaves the specification of budgets up to the DReps via info actions.
Are the Cardano Blockchain Guardrails and Supporting Guidance Appendices part of the Constitution? Yes. The Appendices are part of the Constitution with the same level of authority as the rest of the text. Appendices allowed the drafters to keep the articles concise without compromising on the technical details provided in the appendices.
If I delegate to DRep, will my SPO delegation be removed? No. Your SPO delegation will not be impacted in any way by your DRep delegation.
If I delegate to DRep, will my staking rewards increase or decrease? If you delegate to a DRep, your staking rewards amount will be unaffected and you will be able to withdraw your rewards.
I am thinking of removing my current SPO delegation first and then delegating to DRep. Is this correct? There is no need to change your SPO delegation in order to delegate to a DRep. These are independent actions.
If I delegate to a bad DRep, will something bad happen? No, there is no direct negative consequence to an ada holder that could result from their choice of delegation. DReps cast votes for on-chain governance actions using the voting power delegated to them. If you disagree with the way they’re behaving, you can select a different DRep at any time.
I heard a rumor that staking rewards will stop if I don't delegate to DRep. Is this true? You will continue to accumulate staking rewards as usual, however your ability to withdraw those staking rewards will only be enabled once you delegate to a DRep.
How do I delegate to DRep? The easiest way is to go to Gov.Tools, connect your wallet, and find a suitable DRep.
What is the difference between a DRep and an Intersect member? A DRep is an on-chain governance decision maker. Intersect members are part of an off-chain member-based organization that may provide expertise and recommendations but does not make decisions over the protocol itself.
Why would I need to delegate to a DRep? Delegating to a DRep is your way of ensuring your voice is counted in the governance of Cardano regarding important decisions that impact the protocol.
