What is Snapshot Vote?

A Snapshot vote is an off-chain governance mechanism where token holders signal their preferences without paying gas. Votes are cryptographically signed and stored on IPFS, making them transparent and verifiable without touching the blockchain.

How does Snapshot Vote work?

A proposal is created on Snapshot, specifying the voting window and eligible token holders.
The platform takes a snapshot of token balances at a specific block height to prevent double-voting.
Token holders sign their votes with their wallet no gas required.
Results are tallied and published, but execution requires a separate on-chain action.

Why does Snapshot Vote matter?

It makes governance accessible to all token holders regardless of wallet size. Without it, only wealthy holders could afford to vote, centralizing governance to whales.

Key features of Snapshot Vote

Zero gas cost for voters
Cryptographically signed and stored on IPFS
Block-height snapshot prevents vote manipulation
Non-binding by default signals intent rather than executing changes

Examples of Snapshot Vote

Uniswap and Aave use Snapshot for temperature checks before committing to expensive on-chain votes. MakerDAO polls community sentiment through Snapshot before formal governance actions.