Validator Commons

Validator Commons is a cryptopolitical party of aligned validators and allies. We believe that governance matters. The Validator Commons (a.k.a. the Commons), began as an effort by folks at Stakefish, Figment, Chorus One, Chainflow, and Metagov to define technical standards and best-practices in proof-of-stake governance. We started in March 2022, and at some point over the next four months, we realized that the best way to improve proof-of-stake governance was to agree on some values, put together some proposals, and then actually vote for the change we want—in other words, to start a cryptopolitical party. Cryptopolitical party, like traditional political parties, we share a set of common beliefs, goals, and policies. We support certain representatives (validators) in a well-defined electoral system (proof-of-stake governance). We coordinate voting on proposals, research on new proposals, and community outreach. And we provide organizational, technical, and monetary support for the representatives and activists in our organization. But unlike traditional electoral systems, proof-of-stake blockchains require a high level of economic and technological engagement. Therefore, unlike traditional political parties, we work directly to change the economic incentives of governance and participation. We build technical standards and infrastructure for governance across chains. We conduct governance assessments of validators and chains when requested. We make strategic investments in tooling and public goods that will benefit all validators, including those that disagree with our positions. And, one day, we may automate ourselves into a composable, interoperable piece of the protocols we support.