Using Gasless Voting
How to vote without paying gas fees
Using Gasless Voting
Gasless voting lets you participate in DAO governance without paying transaction fees. This guide explains how to use this feature as a voter.
What is Gasless Voting?
With gasless voting:
- You sign a message with your vote
- The DAO pays the transaction fee
- Your vote is recorded on-chain
No ETH required in your wallet to vote.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Traditional vs Gasless Voting │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Traditional Voting: │
│ 1. Click Vote │
│ 2. Approve gas fee ($3-10) │
│ 3. Wait for confirmation │
│ 4. Vote recorded │
│ │
│ Gasless Voting: │
│ 1. Click Vote │
│ 2. Sign message (free) │
│ 3. Wait for confirmation │
│ 4. Vote recorded │
│ │
│ You save: $3-10 per vote │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Checking Eligibility
Am I Eligible?
Gasless voting may have requirements:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Gasless Voting Status │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ✓ Gasless voting available for you │
│ │
│ Requirements Met: │
│ ✓ Minimum voting power (100+ veLUX) │
│ ✓ DAO membership active │
│ ✓ Not rate limited │
│ │
│ Your Voting Power: 5,000 veLUX │
│ Gasless Votes Today: 2 of 20 allowed │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Common Requirements
| Requirement | Typical Threshold |
|---|---|
| Minimum voting power | 100+ tokens |
| Membership status | Active member |
| Rate limit | 10-20 votes/day |
| Cooldown | 1 minute between votes |
If You're Not Eligible
If gasless isn't available, you'll see:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Gasless Voting Not Available │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ✗ You don't meet the requirements for gasless voting │
│ │
│ Missing: │
│ ✗ Minimum voting power (you have 50, need 100 veLUX) │
│ │
│ Options: │
│ • Stake more tokens to reach 100 veLUX │
│ • Vote with gas (costs ~$3) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘How to Vote Gasless
Step 1: Find a Proposal
- Go to Governance > Proposals
- Select an active proposal
- Review the proposal details
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Proposal #42: Grant $50,000 to Research Committee │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Status: Active - Voting Open │
│ Ends: 3 days, 4 hours │
│ │
│ Current Results: │
│ For: ████████████████████░░░░ 68% │
│ Against: ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 32% │
│ │
│ Quorum: ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░ 65% reached │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Step 2: Choose Your Vote
Select For, Against, or Abstain:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Cast Your Vote │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Your Voting Power: 5,000 veLUX │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ ● FOR │ ← Selected │
│ └────────────────┘ │
│ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ ○ AGAINST │ │
│ └────────────────┘ │
│ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ ○ ABSTAIN │ │
│ └────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Add reason (optional): │
│ [This initiative aligns with our research goals... ] │
│ │
│ ⚡ Gasless voting enabled - No gas fee required │
│ │
│ [Submit Vote] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Step 3: Sign the Vote
Click Submit and sign in your wallet:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MetaMask - Sign Message │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ dao.example.com requests your signature │
│ │
│ Message: │
│ ───────────────────────────────── │
│ Cast vote on Proposal #42 │
│ Vote: For │
│ Reason: This initiative aligns with our research goals │
│ ───────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ This will not cost any gas fees. │
│ Your vote will be recorded on-chain. │
│ │
│ [Reject] [Sign] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Signing is free - you're only approving your vote, not paying for a transaction.
Step 4: Wait for Confirmation
Your vote is submitted to the bundler:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Vote Submitted │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ⟳ Processing your vote... │
│ │
│ Status: Pending │
│ Estimated time: 15-60 seconds │
│ │
│ What's happening: │
│ 1. ✓ Vote signed │
│ 2. ✓ Submitted to bundler │
│ 3. ⟳ Waiting for on-chain confirmation │
│ 4. ○ Vote recorded │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Step 5: Vote Confirmed
Once confirmed, you'll see:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Vote Recorded! │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ✓ Your vote has been recorded on-chain │
│ │
│ Proposal: #42 - Grant to Research Committee │
│ Your Vote: FOR │
│ Voting Power: 5,000 veLUX │
│ Gas Paid: $0.00 (sponsored) │
│ │
│ Transaction: 0xabc123... │
│ [View on Explorer] │
│ │
│ Thank you for participating in governance! │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Delegating Gaslessly
You can also delegate your voting power without gas:
Step 1: Go to Delegation
- Navigate to Governance > Delegation
- Click Delegate Votes
Step 2: Choose Delegate
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Delegate Your Voting Power │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Your Voting Power: 5,000 veLUX │
│ Currently Delegated To: Self │
│ │
│ Delegate To: │
│ [0xABC...123 ] │
│ │
│ Or choose from active delegates: │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ alice.eth │ 50,000 veLUX │ 95% participation│ │
│ │ bob.eth │ 30,000 veLUX │ 88% participation│ │
│ │ research.eth │ 25,000 veLUX │ 100% participation│ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ⚡ Gasless delegation enabled │
│ │
│ [Cancel] [Delegate] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Step 3: Sign and Confirm
Same process as voting - sign the message for free.
Changing Your Vote
Most DAOs allow changing votes before the voting period ends:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Current Vote │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Proposal #42 │
│ Your Vote: FOR (5,000 veLUX) │
│ Cast: 2 days ago │
│ │
│ Voting ends in: 1 day, 4 hours │
│ │
│ [Change Vote] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Changing your vote uses one of your daily gasless vote allowances.
Rate Limits
Understanding Limits
DAOs may limit gasless votes to prevent abuse:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Gasless Voting Limits │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Daily Votes: 5 / 20 used │
│ ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 25% │
│ │
│ Resets in: 8 hours │
│ │
│ Cooldown: None (ready to vote) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘If Rate Limited
If you've hit your limit:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Rate Limit Reached │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ You've used all 20 gasless votes today. │
│ │
│ Options: │
│ • Wait until limit resets (8 hours) │
│ • Vote with gas (~$3) │
│ │
│ [Vote with Gas] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Viewing Vote History
Track your voting activity:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ My Voting History │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ │ Proposal │ Vote │ Power │ Method │ Date │
│ ├───────────────────┼─────────┼────────┼──────────┼────────│
│ │ #42 Research Grant│ For │ 5,000 │ Gasless │ Today │
│ │ #41 Treasury Alloc│ Against │ 5,000 │ Gasless │ 3d ago │
│ │ #40 Parameter Upd │ For │ 4,500 │ Gasless │ 1w ago │
│ │ #39 Committee Elec│ Abstain │ 4,500 │ Regular │ 2w ago │
│ │
│ Total Votes: 45 │
│ Gasless Votes: 42 (93%) │
│ Gas Saved: ~$126 │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Troubleshooting
Common Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "Gasless not available" | Don't meet requirements | Check eligibility requirements |
| Signature rejected | Wallet issue | Try reconnecting wallet |
| Vote not confirming | Network congestion | Wait or retry |
| "Rate limited" | Too many votes | Wait for reset |
Vote Stuck "Pending"
If your vote is stuck:
- Wait - Bundlers may batch transactions (up to 2 minutes)
- Check Status - View in your voting history
- Retry - If failed, try voting again
- Fallback - Vote with gas as backup
Wrong Vote Recorded
If your vote appears incorrect:
- Verify on block explorer
- Check if you can change vote
- Contact DAO support if persistent issue
FAQ
Is gasless voting secure?
Yes. Your vote is:
- Signed by your wallet (only you can create it)
- Recorded on-chain (tamper-proof)
- Verified by smart contracts (can't be spoofed)
Why do I need to sign?
Signing proves you authorized the vote. Without your signature, no one can vote on your behalf.
Does the DAO see my private key?
No. Signing uses your private key locally - only the signature leaves your device.
Can I use gasless on mobile?
Yes, if your mobile wallet supports message signing (most do).
What if gasless is disabled mid-vote?
Your pending vote will still process. Future votes will require gas.
Is there a limit to gasless votes?
Yes, typically 10-20 per day to prevent abuse. Check your DAO's specific limits.
Tips for Best Experience
Do
- Check eligibility before important votes
- Sign promptly when wallet prompts
- Monitor vote confirmation
- Keep some ETH as backup
Don't
- Close browser during voting
- Spam vote attempts
- Ignore rate limits
- Assume all DAOs have gasless
Need Help?
If you encounter issues:
- Check the FAQ
- Visit the DAO's Discord support channel
- Contact DAO admins