Nakamoto: Your Guide to Voting
by Hero Gamer, Stacks Community Governance Resident
January 18, 2024
The Nakamoto upgrade, the next big step for the Stacks layer, has kicked off the SIP (Stacks Improvement Proposal) process that involves community reviews and of course, ultimately, the open vote for adoption of the upgrade. By design, Stacks governance is decentralized in such a way that no one party, including the core blockchain team, can make any breaking changes to the Stacks network until a vote has taken place.

In order for the upgrade to pass, a strong majority of the network must vote ‘Yes on Nakamoto.’ That is, 80% or more of votes cast from at least 80 million stacked STX voting must represent a ‘Yes’ vote.
Timeline and key milestones
Here's a detailed breakdown of the key milestones leading up to the vote:

  1. ✅ SIP Call and Overview (1/12): On January 12th, a SIP (Stacks Improvement Proposal) call took place where an overview is provided of the Nakamoto upgrade. This is a crucial moment as it serves as the handoff to the CABs (Consideration Advisory Boards), who will play a pivotal role in the evaluation process. Remember that all events are indexed here.
  2. CAB Review Completion (2/2): The CABs are entrusted with the responsibility of reviewing the Nakamoto upgrade proposal in detail. By February 2nd, they will have completed their review, which ensures the proposal's quality and alignment with community interests.
  3. Voting Commences (~2/11): Voting will take place during reward cycles 78 and 79 (between block 829750 and block 833950). This window is estimated to begin starting February 11th and ending March 10th. Voting periods take place during Stacking cycles, which is why the exact date remains approximate. Community members can cast their votes via several different methods to either approve or reject the Nakamoto upgrade.
  4. Voting Concludes (~3/10): On approximately March 10th, the voting period closes. By this date, all community members who wish to participate should have had the opportunity to voice their opinions through their votes.
What to look for...
  • In the coming weeks, we will consistently update the community on the review results of CABs and share any additional comments from their assessments.
  • As we approach the voting window, a contract will be sent on-chain to initiate the voting process.
  • Open voting will be officially announced from Stacks Foundation’s X account. Be sure to turn on notifications to stay in the loop!
  • Exciting news: A new, stylish Voted banner for your profile picture is in the works, designed by the renowned Stacks artist, TheArtist. Follow the entire voting process to claim your exclusive banner and showcase it proudly on X!
How to Vote
Voting is not open yet, follow the Stacks Foundation on X or check back later.
FAQ
Learn more about Nakamoto