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How to Vote in an Elastos DAO Council Election

The Elastos DAO Council — twelve members elected by the community — governs the DAO treasury and decides which proposals get funded. Any ELA holder can vote for council candidates directly from the Elastos Essentials wallet.

This guide walks through a complete vote: getting the right kind of ELA, staking it, casting your votes, and adjusting them later. For the on-chain mechanics behind the vote, see Community Participation in the reference docs.

At a glance
  • Who can do this: Any ELA holder
  • What you need: Essentials wallet, ELA on the Elastos main chain, ≈ 0.1 ELA fee buffer
  • How long: ~3–5 minutes once your ELA is on the main chain
  • Cost: Standard transaction fees only — no fee to vote
  • Vote weight: 1 staked Mainchain ELA = 1 vote

Before You Start​

You need:

  • Elastos Essentials installed (see Set Up Your Wallet)
  • ELA on the Elastos main chain (Mainchain ELA — not ESC ELA)
  • A small amount of ELA left unstaked (≈ 0.1 ELA) to cover transaction fees
One ELA, one vote

Voting power is one-to-one with staked Mainchain ELA. Staking 100 ELA gives you 100 votes, which you can give entirely to one candidate or distribute across several.

Step 1: Get Mainchain ELA into Essentials​

Council voting only works with ELA on the main chain. There are two common ways to get it there:

  • From an exchange — withdraw ELA from a supported exchange directly to your Essentials Mainchain address.
  • From the Smart Chain (ESC) — if you already hold ELA on ESC, bridge it to the main chain inside Essentials.

Once the ELA arrives, confirm it appears in your Elastos Mainchain wallet (not the ESC wallet) before continuing.

Step 2: Stake Your ELA​

Staked Mainchain ELA is what becomes your voting power. If you have already staked ELA in Essentials, skip ahead to Step 3.

  1. Open Essentials and go to the Staking tab.

    Essentials Staking tab

  2. Tap Stake.

    Tap the Stake button

  3. Enter the amount of ELA you want to stake. Leave a small balance unstaked for fees.

    Enter stake amount

  4. Sign the transaction.

    Sign the staking transaction

    Stake confirmation

Because the Elastos main chain is merged-mined with Bitcoin, the transaction may take a few minutes to confirm. The staked balance typically appears in your wallet within about five minutes.

For a deeper walkthrough of staking itself (durations, pledges, BPoS rewards), see Stake ELA. For the council vote you only need the stake to exist — you do not need to pledge it to a BPoS node.

Step 3: Cast Your Votes​

  1. From the Essentials home screen, open the Elastos DAO (or CR Council) section.

    Open Elastos DAO from Essentials home

  2. Tap Council Members.

    Council Members page

  3. Tap Vote in the top right.

    Tap Vote at top right

  4. Select the candidates you want to support and allocate your votes — give all of them to one candidate, or split them across several.

    Select candidates and allocate votes

  5. Tap Cast Votes and sign the transaction with your password.

    Cast votes confirmation

Allow a few minutes for the transaction to confirm. Once it does, your votes appear under each candidate's running total on the candidate list.

Step 4: Change or Withdraw Your Votes​

Your votes are not locked in. You can revisit the election at any time during the voting period:

  • Re-allocate votes — return to the Vote screen, change your selections or distribution, and sign a new transaction. The new vote replaces the previous one.
  • Withdraw votes entirely — unstake your ELA in the Staking tab. Once the stake is released, the votes attached to it are released as well.

Each change is a normal on-chain transaction, so keep a small fee buffer in your wallet.

Election Timing​

Council elections run on a recurring on-chain cycle: a voting window during which staked holders can register votes, followed by a duty period for the elected council. The cycle then repeats — there is no fixed calendar date.

For the current cycle's voting window, candidate list, and election status, check the Elastos DAO section inside Essentials or the official governance portal at elastos.com.

For the structural cycle definition (voting and duty period lengths in blocks), see Community Participation → Election Cycle.

Why Voting Matters​

Council members decide which proposals receive funding from the 30% of every block reward that flows into the DAO treasury. Your vote directly shapes:

  • Who represents the community on the council
  • Which projects, teams, and initiatives get funded
  • The strategic direction of the Elastos ecosystem

A more active electorate means a more legitimate, more decentralized DAO.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Does staking for the election earn BPoS rewards? No. The stake used for council voting does not need to be pledged to a BPoS validator and does not earn BPoS rewards on its own. To earn BPoS rewards, see Stake ELA and Vote for a Node.

Can I vote for more than one candidate from a single stake? Yes. You can allocate your votes across as many candidates as you like in a single transaction.

Can I change my vote after submitting it? Yes — at any time during the voting period. Repeat Step 3 with new selections; the latest transaction replaces the previous one.

Do I lose my staked ELA when I vote? No. Voting does not consume ELA; it just attaches your stake to candidates. Your ELA remains yours and unstakes normally.

Why is my staked balance not appearing yet? The Elastos main chain is merged-mined with Bitcoin. Confirmations typically arrive within about five minutes.