Note: this document assumes familiarity with the House of Stake Governance Proposal. If you haven’t reviewed that yet, please do so before reading the following.
1. Introduction
As the NEAR ecosystem adopts a stake-based governance model, ensuring a diverse base of delegates contributing to the system is crucial. This Call for Delegates serves as the kick-off action for the delegation process.
Delegates act as representatives for token holders, participating in important decisions on behalf of those who delegate their voting power to them. Delegates are critical in blockchain governance and ensure active and informed participation. To support the introduction of quality delegates, the House of Stake introduces the concept of Endorsed Delegates. Endorsed Delegates will have their delegate profile promoted to the entire network, so veNEAR holders can review delegate preferences and confidently delegate their veNEAR. Endorsed Delegates allow token holders to contribute to the protocol’s development and maintenance without needing to analyze and vote on every proposal themselves.
For the NEAR ecosystem governance to effectively decentralize, it needs to ensure high token-voting participation, that delegates act with integrity and transparency, and that a diverse set of delegates contribute and offer their perspectives. To that end, it is essential that token holders delegate to those who will vote regularly, abide by the Delegate Code of Conduct (below, section 5), and bring a unique and valuable perspective to the House of Stake.
As a token holder with a stake in NEAR Protocol’s success, your governance power scales with the number of tokens you hold. You can delegate these tokens either to yourself to vote with or to a delegate to vote on your behalf. You can redelegate your tokens at any point.
2. Background
As the House of Stake kicks off this delegation process, token holders will need to have sufficient information about the pool of delegates to make an informed decision. Additionally, token holders must have community guidance to reduce voter fatigue during crucial votes, which require research on many candidates.
To that end, we’re asking all prospective delegates to submit a Delegate Application on the NEAR governance forum during the application window (Dec 16, 2024 - Feb 16, 2025). After the application window, the NEAR Foundation will review all delegate applications and release their selection of Endorsed Delegates on (Feb 24, 2025).
While the Near Foundation is excited to drive the launch of the House of Stake, the community will maintain full ownership over governance and delegate management. Endorsed Delegates will receive a specific tag on the NEAR governance forum and the delegation/ voting interfaces. After the Endorsed Delegates are released and the House of Stake is live, the NEAR community can delegate their NEAR voting power to any delegates they believe best represent their views.
3. How to Get Involved as a Delegate
The NEAR ecosystem has a large user and contributor base, but this should not deter new contributors from coming forward during the Call for Delegates. If you are an active contributor to other ecosystems and are interested in participating in the NEAR community, now is your opportunity!
To get involved in the NEAR ecosystem as an Endorsed Delegate, you must apply on the NEAR governance forum by (Feb 16, 2025). Create a new topic with the new delegate tag with the title “‘Delegate Name’ - Delegate Proposal”. Please use the Delegate Questionnaire and Assessment Criteria (below) when submitting your delegate application.
Posting an application to the forum requires the acceptance of the Delegate Code of Conduct; if you do not accept the Delegate Code of Conduct, do not post an application. You can review the Delegate Code of Conduct in Section 5.
4. Delegate Questionnaire
A. Delegation Address:
B. Forum Username:
C. Twitter Username:
D. Website (optional):
E. Target Voting Participation:
F. History of Interactions with NEAR Protocol:
G. History of Governance Participation (in NEAR or other ecosystems):
H. Top 3 Priorities for the NEAR Ecosystem:
I. Reasoning for any past votes in the NEAR Ecosystem:
J. Conflicts of Interest:
K. Answer Hypothetical Delegate Scenario:
Prompt: The NEAR ecosystem is evaluating opportunities to stimulate onchain activity. In this hypothetical scenario, there are three different proposals for the Foundation to consider:
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A proposal to allocate incentives to DeFi protocol users to benefit protocol metrics.
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A proposal to establish a subcommittee to market the NEAR Protocol to developers and users.
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A proposal to establish a Protocol-Owned Liquidity position by the House of Stake on major DeFi protocols in the ecosystem.
- What additional information would you need from the proposers to make an informed decision?
- What key metrics would you evaluate to support or reject the proposals?
- How would you ultimately support and vote for these different proposals?
L. What is your motivation for becoming a NEAR delegate?
M. Anticipated delegation support (if applicable) (Please describe the anticipated breakdown of delegated voting power, including any relevant self-delegation or large investors/core team members you wish to disclose).
5. Self-Assessment Criteria
Score (X/10) - please include two sentences of notes minimum per category
A. Experience (X/2)
Experience may be smart contract development, DAO governance, protocol growth, community development, DeFi market operations, or other relevant backgrounds for the House of Stake.
Rating:
- 2 - Strong and relevant professional experience within the blockchain industry.
- 1 - Light experience in any of the above categories.
- 0 - No relevant experience.
Notes:
B. Diversity of Perspective (X/2)
Rating:
- 2 - The Delegate brings a unique perspective to the House of Stake compared to other delegates.
- 1 - The Delegate brings an underrepresented perspective to the House of Stake.
- 0 - The Delegate brings a common perspective to the House of Stake.
Notes:
C. Alignment with NEAR Ecosystem (X/2)
Rating:
- 2 - The delegate is an active builder in the NEAR ecosystem with strong alignment. They will benefit enormously if NEAR grows.
- 1 - The delegate has some commitment to the NEAR ecosystem
- 0 - The delegate has no alignment with the NEAR ecosystem.
Notes:
D. Governance Engagement (X/2)
Rating:
- 2 - The delegate has a strong track record of participating in the governance of NEAR or other ecosystems. The delegate was an active voter, vocal in the forums, and helped drive initiatives.
- 1—The delegate has participated in governance in NEAR or other ecosystems. This may have included voting, posting in the forums, or contributing to initiatives unpaid.
- 0 - The delegate has no track record of participation in onchain governance.
Notes:
E. Conflicts of Interest (X/2)
Rating:
- 2 - The delegate has no direct or indirect conflicts of interest with the House of Stake.
- 1 - The delegate has an indirect conflict of interest with the House of Stake.
- 0 - The delegate has a direct conflict of interest with the House of Stake.
Notes:
6. Delegate Code of Conduct
Professionalism
Delegates must maintain total professionalism in their communications on the NEAR governance forum, social media when commenting about the House of Stake, and in NEAR community calls. Delegates should engage in data-driven, productive conversations and refrain from ad hominem attacks or other unproductive commentary.
Integrity
It is crucial for the success of the House of Stake that delegates maintain the utmost integrity in their actions and voting. Delegates should:
- Never vote when they have direct conflicts of interest.
- Disclose any indirect conflicts of interest and exercise prudence in voting depending on the situation.
- Never accept bribes or collude against the interests of the NEAR ecosystem.
- Disclose to the community whenever there is an attempt to bribe them or sway their vote.
Transparency
Delegates should act transparently in their actions in the House of Stake. This involves:
- posting regular forum updates with voting rationale
- disclosing any conflicts of interest
- communicating with other delegates and proposal authors
Accountability
Delegates must maintain accountability for their actions and the actions of the House of Stake. The House of Stake must continually evaluate whether its actions achieved their intended results.
Active Participation
Delegates must maintain active participation in the House of Stake, which includes:
- Voting on at least 80% of proposals
- Posting voting rationale for all votes on the NEAR governance forum
- Reading all House of Stake forum proposals
7. Next Steps
Upon completing the Call for Delegates application period and the House of Stake going live, the Screening Committee will initiate the review process described in the House of Stake proposal. Applications will be reviewed based on predefined criteria established by the screening committee to ensure candidates meet the necessary standards and align with the protocol’s objectives.
Once selected, endorsed delegates will be expected to:
- Maintain active voting participation > 80%.
- Submitting their rationale for votes on the NEAR governance forum.
- Stay updated with the current proposals by directly participating in votes or posting their rationale/support/no-support for proposals.
Gauntlet welcomes community feedback and will respond to questions and concerns as needed, thanks in advance to all delegates for applying!
