@dismad and I are organizing a coinholder poll later this month to test out @hanh’s new Coin Voting 2.0 application. Similar to previous polls, coinholders will first need to move their ZEC into the Orchard pool during a designated registration window.
For this poll, the registration window runs from Block 2,663,885, which occurred around September 30, 2024, to Block 2,857,375, which will occur around 12:00 AM UTC on Monday, March 17, 2025.
For now, you just need to register your coins. Once the registration deadline has passed, you’ll be able to proceed to the next step and cast your vote. I’ll share instructions, as well as a link to the voting application, closer to the deadline.
However, I still want to provide a brief summary of Coin Voting 2.0 so you know what to expect. There is also a demo from ZecHub below.
The Coin Voting 2.0 application differs from the previous voting system that was integrated into YWallet. This is a standalone application that is not currently integrated into any wallet, meaning users will need to download it separately. Each election consists of four steps: creation, hosting, voting, and auditing. The creator defines the vote parameters, including the question, answers, and eligible block range. The host runs the election logistics, providing a trustless online service for voters to submit ballots. Voters participate using their Orchard funds, with the option to delegate votes. Finally, auditors verify the results once the election concludes by using a revealed seed phrase to validate the ballots and report the final counts.
There are three ways to participate in Coin Voting 2.0; however, for this test poll, we are only using two of them:
- Least secure: Enter the seed phrase of an existing wallet. This carries the highest risk. Please ensure your ZEC was received during the registration period. If not, you’ll need to do an Orchard-to-Orchard transfer before the registration deadline to refresh your notes.
- Most secure: Create a new wallet, move ZEC into the Orchard pool during the registration period, and—after the registration period ends but before voting—move the ZEC out of the wallet you’ll use to vote. When you later enter the seed phrase to vote, the wallet will be empty, eliminating any risk of losing funds.
- Not applicable in this election: There is also an option to enter the viewing key of an existing wallet, which allows the app to verify your balance without exposing your private keys, reducing risk. However, we are not allowing this option for this test poll to ensure that everyone voting actually owns the coins they are using and is not relying on a publicly acquired viewing key.
Please note that Coin Voting 2.0 has not yet been fully audited. Least Authority is currently in the process of auditing the mechanism, and we hope that the audit will be completed before Coin Voting 2.0 is used for polling related to upcoming governance discussions.
Here are some additional resources:
How to do a pool transfer / transfer ZEC to Orchard:
https://x.com/ZecHub/status/1859339713871499286
Coin Voting 2.0 Demo by ZecHub:
