• The ballot is a temperature check on progress made thus far - allowing all ada holders to voice their opinion on on-chain governance later this month
• Ballot comes as a result of 50 workshops across 24 countries, five rounds of iterations and over 1,000 people collaborating
• Results expected by 16th December

On December 1st a Cardano Ballot event on CIP-1694 will open for all ada holders to have their say on the future decision making process for the blockchain. Cardano has reached an incredible milestone. After six years of initial development and feature cultivation, the Cardano blockchain has reached the age of Voltaire. Guided by a principles-first approach and led by the community, this new age of Cardano advances inclusive accountability for all participants in the ecosystem. The time has come for a ballot by the community on the way forward. The proposal, specified in the ‘CIP-1694’ Cardano Improvement Proposal, aims to create minimum viable on-chain governance, and gives every ada holder a say in the future direction of Cardano. CIP-1694 is the most active improvement proposal in the history of Cardano’s development, with over 400 Github comments, 50 global workshops across 24 countries, and 1,000+ participants. In August this year, SanchoNet launched and is already in Phase 5 of its development. SanchoNet is the testnet for rolling out groundbreaking governance features for the Cardano blockchain, aligning with the comprehensive CIP-1694 specifications. SanchoNet stands apart from other testnets; it's a vibrant, inclusive, and community-driven platform. Later this November, the SanchoNet GovTool will be made available as a beta release, making participation in SanchoNet more accessible to the wider Cardano community through the lens of a friendly user interface.

The temperature check on CIP-1694 will be held using Cardano Ballot, developed by the Cardano Foundation in collaboration with Input Output Global. Once CIP-1694 is confirmed, Cardano governance will continue its transition into the hands of the community. This means that ada holders will be able to create proposals regarding the future of Cardano, have them be presented for a vote, and if successful be implemented.

CIP-1694 marks a pivotal advancement in Cardano's on-chain governance framework. It stands to enhance and enrich the inclusive nature of Cardano's governance, offering the community an amplified voice in shaping the blockchain's future.

Ada holders wishing to vote in the ballot need to have previously staked their ada to a Stake Pool Operator (SPO) by November 20th. Voting opens on December 1st, on Cardano Ballot and closes two epochs (10 days) later on December 11th. Results are expected on the 16th December.

Voting process
Users can vote here from December 1st, and must have delegated their ada to a stake pool by the 20th November. There are no transaction fees to vote, and compatible wallets are: Flint, Eternl, Nami, Typhon, Yoroi, Nufi, GeroWallet, Lace. Holders must stake a minimum of one lovelace to vote. Voting will take place on the 1st December to 11th December.