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To participate in ENS DAO governance, $ENS tokens must be delegated to an Ethereum address.

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How Delegation Works

$ENS tokens can be delegated to your own address (self-delegation) or to another address (a delegate). Delegation can be changed at any time and persists until you change it or move your tokens.

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Delegation Options

By default, all tokens in a wallet are delegated to a single address. However, with the Multi-Delegate Manager (MDM), you can delegate your voting power to multiple delegates without splitting your tokens.

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Self-Custody Requirement

Only $ENS tokens held in self-custodied wallets can be delegated. Tokens on centralized exchanges cannot be delegated.

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Where to Delegate

You can delegate using platforms like delegate.ens.domains, ENS Agora, and Tally.

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What is a Delegate?

A delegate is anyone who controls an Ethereum address that has been delegated $ENS tokens. Delegates can submit and vote on proposals in the ENS DAO. Delegates may choose to publicly announce their intention to participate in governance by posting in the ENS DAO Governance forum and setting the eth.ens.delegate text record on their ENS name. This is optional.

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Why is Delegation Important?

Delegation allows $ENS holders who do not wish to participate directly to empower others to vote on their behalf. This increases participation and ensures more tokens are used in governance.
  1. You do not need to own $ENS to be a delegate; you only need others to delegate to you.
  2. Tokenholders can change their delegate at any time, and the number of delegated tokens may change as tokens are moved or sold.
When choosing a delegate, consider:
  • Do they represent your views?
  • Are they active in voting?
  • Do they have relevant expertise?
  • Are they engaged in working groups?
  • Will they communicate with you about governance?