Hey Stackers, we're quickly heading toward an exciting vote on the Nakamoto and sBTC upgrades, as well as a possible emissions update SIP. These upgrades are expected to help Stacks take its next leap as the leading Bitcoin L2 and bring additional speed, security, and functionality to the layer. Together, we face an exciting step toward activating the Bitcoin economy in incredible new ways.

Before that happens, though, the community needs to vote on the SIPs describing these upgrades and decide if they will move forward. To assist the community in getting ready for the upcoming vote, we're facilitating a series of conversations covering key design decisions related to the upgrades and surfacing expert commentary for consideration and review. We know that these upgrades have a number of moving pieces, so we anticipate not everyone has been able to keep up with every report, pull request, and design conversation to date.

We hope this series will maximize knowledge within the community on key aspects of the SIPs you’ll be voting on soon.

On that note, let’s talk voting. In the next couple of weeks, Governance contributors will collaborate to lock in the voting dates and offer a detailed timeline similar to the one provided for Stacks 2.1. For the purposes of this post, here are the current estimated voting dates, subject to alignment with Stacking cycles:

• December 15, 2023: Voting opens
• January 31, 2024: Voting closes
• February 5, 2024: Final tabulations expected

The goal is to make voting even easier than in the past! Stacks 2.1 saw a record turnout and we’re looking forward to working with governance contributors to simplify the interface further; Stay tuned for more detailed voting resources and have your STX wallets at the ready!

Voting mechanics are one thing, but now let’s turn our attention to voter education. In the lead-up to, and throughout the voting period, there will be a series of forum posts, presentations, and facilitated discussions where you’ll hear from core contributors, dive into material provided by 3rd party experts, and hear the opinions of key builders throughout the ecosystem. This series aims to provide an opportunity to review these key topics together and get everyone prepared to vote in full confidence.

Below is what we have planned directly, or are aware of coming up. Further, we expect commentary from key builders throughout which we will capture and provide links for when available. Please reach out if you’d like to host a discussion or if you’re aware of one we’ve missed on our list. We also recommend following the Ecosystem calendar and the @stacks or @stacksorg X accounts for updates!

We’re looking forward to seeing you at one or all of the upcoming discussions! Keep an eye on this post and the events calendar for updates and don’t hesitate post questions in the #governance channel on Discord.