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  "id": "governance-quorum-thresholds",
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  "collection": "defi",
  "title": "Governance quorum and proposal thresholds: two different gates",
  "description": "Distinguish the votes needed to create a proposal, the participation needed for quorum and the support needed to pass it.",
  "aliases": [
    "DAO quorum proposal threshold difference",
    "proposal threshold versus quorum"
  ],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T19:18:00.092Z",
    "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": "A proposal threshold controls who can submit a governance proposal. Quorum sets a minimum participation requirement, while the approval rule determines whether support is sufficient to pass. These are separate tests. OpenZeppelin’s example counts For and Abstain toward quorum, so even the meaning of participation must be checked in the actual voting module.",
    "claimId": "governance-quorum-thresholds-quick-answer",
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  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Threshold",
      "value": "Proposal threshold is the voting power needed to become a proposer.",
      "sourceIds": [
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      "id": "threshold",
      "claimId": "governance-quorum-thresholds-fact-threshold"
    },
    {
      "label": "Quorum",
      "value": "Quorum may be a fraction of supply at the proposal snapshot.",
      "sourceIds": [
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      "id": "quorum",
      "claimId": "governance-quorum-thresholds-fact-quorum"
    },
    {
      "label": "Counting rule",
      "value": "The documented simple module counts For and Abstain toward quorum.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-oz-governance"
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      "id": "counting-rule",
      "claimId": "governance-quorum-thresholds-fact-counting-rule"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "governance-tokens"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "example",
      "heading": "A large majority can still miss quorum",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-oz-governance"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Suppose a hypothetical vote requires quorum of 100,000 units under the For-plus-Abstain rule. With 70,000 For, 20,000 Against and 20,000 Abstain, the For side has a majority over Against but only 90,000 counts toward quorum. The proposal fails that participation requirement.",
        "Adding 10,000 Abstain reaches quorum without changing the For-versus-Against totals. Other counting systems can produce different results."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "snapshot",
      "heading": "Use the correct voting-power date",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-oz-governor-api",
        "x425-defi-oz-governance"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A token’s current supply or your current balance may not be the value used for a past proposal. The governor can read historical voting power at its snapshot. Identify that timepoint and the voting clock before calculating percentages."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lifecycle",
      "heading": "Passing a vote is not the last step",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-defi-oz-governance"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A successful proposal may still need queuing, a timelock delay and execution. Review the required calls as well as the prose description. A quorum figure describes one rule in that process, not a complete measure of decentralization or safety."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Does owning enough tokens to vote always let me submit a proposal?",
      "answer": "No. Proposal creation can require a separate threshold, and voting power may require delegation under the token’s rules.",
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        "notes": [
          "Checked Governor proposal threshold, historical quorum and For-plus-Abstain module.70000+20000=90000<100000; extra10000Abstain changes quorum without changing majority."
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  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "governance-delegation",
      "governance-timelocks",
      "borrowed-governance-power",
      "bug-bounties-vs-audits",
      "offchain-votes-onchain-execution"
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      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification."
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  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Governance quorum and proposal thresholds: two different gates.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/governance-quorum-thresholds/"
}