PIP-49 - Shielded voting for ParaSwap Governance

Abstract

Participation in ParaSwap DAO votes fluctuates greatly depending on the subject, but remains low overall when compared with the PSP staked and the voting power used.

There are a number of possible ways of boosting participation, such as introducing a delegate system, increasing communication (although this is more than reasonable), etc.

This proposal in the making would like to introduce Snapshot's 'Shutter' module. This module allows votes to be kept temporarily private until the end of the voting period and then made public once the voting period is over.

The aim is to pass this research topic to a Governance proposal topic by the end of the week (22 December), then to carry out a temp check on 29 December for a vote on 2 January (potential 1 week delay if comments made about the holiday season).

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Goals & review

The aim of this proposal is to activate this feature on snapshot.

You will find below a presentation of the feature as well as discussions and tests that have already taken place on this subject in other DAOs. In my opinion, although useful, the experience of other DAOs should not obscure the fact that each DAO is different, whether in terms of its community, its state of decentralisation or its adoption.

Shutter: Presentation Demo

TL;DR During the vote:

• You can see who has voted.
• You can see the voting power of the voters.
• You can NOT see the voting choice of the voters.
• You can NOT see the global voting choice.

After the vote ends:

• You can see each voter's choice
• You can see the final result

Other DAO similar discussions: AAVE SAFE DYDX

Pros:

• Enhances the overall security and integrity of the Snapshot platform by making it more difficult for bad actors to interfere with the voting process.
• Reduces Herd Mentality: Promotes independent decision-making and discourages voters from being swayed by the trends or decisions of early voters.
• Upholds Voter Confidentiality: Safeguards voter privacy by keeping individual voting preferences undisclosed, until the voting period ends.

Cons:

• If a delegation system is set up, the people delegating will not be able to see on the snapshot whether their delegate's vote is acceptable to them. In my opinion, a delegate should also communicate his choice upstream and in parallel of the Snapshot to those who delegate to him.
• The fact that the vote is hidden prevents discussion during the vote. The ParaSwap DAO's temp check system, which is necessary before the Snapshot is created, marks a symbolic stop on the content of the proposal that will be put to the vote. At this stage, the author of the proposal has judged that the discussions have gone far enough to launch the vote. There is, of course, nothing to stop discussions continuing on the forum.

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Means

It is only necessary for an administrator of the ParaSwap DAO Snapshot space to activate this functionality in Snapshot settings so that all subsequent proposals take it into account. Et voilà!

Given the ease of implementation, the proposal requests activation of this feature within 5 days of acceptance of this proposal, if applicable.

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Implementation Overview

Activating the "Shutter" module can improve participation and the voting process. It will need to be accompanied by further action to improve the DAO governance process.