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  "id": "governance-delegation",
  "canonical": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/governance-delegation/",
  "collection": "defi",
  "title": "Governance delegation: voting power without transferring the tokens",
  "description": "Understand delegated voting power in OpenZeppelin-style governance, including self-delegation, historical snapshots and the distinction from spending authority.",
  "aliases": [],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T18:19:48.887Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "Governance delegation assigns voting power to a representative under a token’s governance rules. In OpenZeppelin’s ERC20Votes and Governor example, delegates cast votes, and holders can delegate to themselves. This voting assignment is distinct from transferring the tokens or approving token spending; the exact snapshot and delegation behavior depend on the implementation.",
    "claimId": "governance-delegation-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "oz-governance",
      "erc20"
    ]
  },
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Voter",
      "value": "Delegates carry voting power in the cited Governor example.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "oz-governance"
      ],
      "id": "voter",
      "claimId": "governance-delegation-fact-voter"
    },
    {
      "label": "Self-delegation",
      "value": "A holder can become their own delegate.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "oz-governance"
      ],
      "id": "self-delegation",
      "claimId": "governance-delegation-fact-self-delegation"
    },
    {
      "label": "History",
      "value": "ERC20Votes tracks historical balances for voting-power snapshots.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "oz-governance"
      ],
      "id": "history",
      "claimId": "governance-delegation-fact-history"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "governance-tokens"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "example",
      "heading": "Separate ownership from who casts the vote",
      "sourceIds": [
        "oz-governance",
        "erc20"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Suppose Alice holds 100 voting tokens and delegates their voting power to Bob. In the illustrated governance design, Bob can use the delegated votes without becoming the token owner merely because of that delegation.",
        "An ERC-20 allowance is a separate authorization to spend tokens. A wallet prompt that grants spending approval should not be interpreted as harmless voting delegation just because it appears on a governance website."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "snapshot",
      "heading": "The proposal’s timepoint matters",
      "sourceIds": [
        "oz-governance"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "The Governor example retrieves voting power historically, rather than assuming that the latest wallet balance is the power for every proposal. The token and governor must agree on their clock, which can use block numbers or timestamps.",
        "A delegation made after the relevant snapshot need not change voting power for that proposal. Inspect its timepoint and implementation before expecting a new delegation to affect an already active vote."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "authority",
      "heading": "Delegation is one part of the decision process",
      "sourceIds": [
        "oz-governance"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Voting weight, quorum, vote counting and execution rules are separate choices in the modular Governor design. A delegate with many votes still operates within those rules.",
        "Evaluate the representative’s voting record and the authority the governance system actually controls. A successful vote cannot exercise powers that the governed contracts have not granted to its execution path."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Does simply holding a voting token always activate my votes?",
      "answer": "No. In the cited OpenZeppelin example, voting power is carried by delegates, so a holder who wants to vote can self-delegate. Other implementations may use different rules.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "oz-governance"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
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      "id": "governance-delegation-quick-answer",
      "articleSlug": "governance-delegation",
      "statement": "Governance delegation assigns voting power to a representative under a token’s governance rules. In OpenZeppelin’s ERC20Votes and Governor example, delegates cast votes, and holders can delegate to themselves. This voting assignment is distinct from transferring the tokens or approving token spending; the exact snapshot and delegation behavior depend on the implementation.",
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      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7",
          "locator": "Voting token; Governor; Timelock"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-ac4ad503a55127bb",
          "locator": "totalSupply; balanceOf; transfer; decimals; approve; allowance; transferFrom; Transfer"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "defi",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
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        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:19:48.887Z",
        "reviewer": "automated independent verification — Codex root, separate from final-ten DeFi author",
        "notes": [
          "Read OpenZeppelin Governor Setup/Token/Vote/clock sections and ERC-20 approve/allowance. Narrowed key fact from implementation-specific checkpoint wording to documented historical voting-power snapshots. Self-delegation, snapshot timing and voting versus spending authority distinguished."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "governance-delegation-fact-voter",
      "articleSlug": "governance-delegation",
      "statement": "Voter: Delegates carry voting power in the cited Governor example.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7"
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      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7",
          "locator": "Voting token; Governor; Timelock"
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      ],
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        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
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      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
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        "reviewer": "automated independent verification — Codex root, separate from final-ten DeFi author",
        "notes": [
          "Read OpenZeppelin Governor Setup/Token/Vote/clock sections and ERC-20 approve/allowance. Narrowed key fact from implementation-specific checkpoint wording to documented historical voting-power snapshots. Self-delegation, snapshot timing and voting versus spending authority distinguished."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "governance-delegation-fact-self-delegation",
      "articleSlug": "governance-delegation",
      "statement": "Self-delegation: A holder can become their own delegate.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7",
          "locator": "Voting token; Governor; Timelock"
        }
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        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
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      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
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        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:19:48.887Z",
        "reviewer": "automated independent verification — Codex root, separate from final-ten DeFi author",
        "notes": [
          "Read OpenZeppelin Governor Setup/Token/Vote/clock sections and ERC-20 approve/allowance. Narrowed key fact from implementation-specific checkpoint wording to documented historical voting-power snapshots. Self-delegation, snapshot timing and voting versus spending authority distinguished."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "governance-delegation-fact-history",
      "articleSlug": "governance-delegation",
      "statement": "History: ERC20Votes tracks historical balances for voting-power snapshots.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7",
          "locator": "Voting token; Governor; Timelock"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "defi",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
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      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
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        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:19:48.887Z",
        "reviewer": "automated independent verification — Codex root, separate from final-ten DeFi author",
        "notes": [
          "Read OpenZeppelin Governor Setup/Token/Vote/clock sections and ERC-20 approve/allowance. Narrowed key fact from implementation-specific checkpoint wording to documented historical voting-power snapshots. Self-delegation, snapshot timing and voting versus spending authority distinguished."
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "oz-governance",
      "label": "How to set up on-chain governance",
      "publisher": "OpenZeppelin",
      "url": "https://docs.openzeppelin.com/contracts/5.x/governance",
      "locator": "Voting token; Governor; Timelock",
      "note": "Delegation, historical checkpoints, quorum and execution delays.",
      "version": "OpenZeppelin Contracts 5.x",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:45.975Z",
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      "recordId": "source-5ae9ea0050b20bf7"
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    {
      "id": "erc20",
      "label": "ERC-20 Token Standard",
      "publisher": "Ethereum Improvement Proposals",
      "url": "https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-20",
      "locator": "totalSupply; balanceOf; transfer; decimals; approve; allowance; transferFrom; Transfer",
      "note": "Token supply, displayed units and balance accounting.",
      "version": "ERC-20",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:45.826Z",
      "contentSha256": "98bda5e4707841a68684879878c4c165fdaa47d89ed69ebf232ab9be06ff050e",
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  ],
  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "governance-timelocks",
      "decentralized-autonomous-organizations",
      "ethereum-token-approvals"
    ],
    "dossiers": [],
    "wallets": []
  },
  "revisionHistory": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "First publication after primary-source research and independent automated verification."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Governance delegation: voting power without transferring the tokens.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/governance-delegation/"
}