100x the Stake, Only 10x the Votes: Inside ZPZ Governance

In ZPZ governance, your votes are designed to equal the square root of the ZPZ you have staked. So a holder with 100 times the stake gets only 10 times the votes. A whale still counts for more than any one holder, but a large enough crowd of smaller holders can outvote it.

ZPZ is launching, so governance is not open yet. Everything below is the design set out in section 10 of the whitepaper, and every rule links to the line it comes from.

The formula, in one line

The whitepaper calls them voting credits. In this post we simply say votes: votes equal the square root of staked ZPZ. The square root of a number is the value that, multiplied by itself, gives that number. The square root of 100 is 10.

This is pure math, not anyone's holdings. Each step multiplies the stake by 100 and the votes by 10. That one property is the whole idea.

A holder with 100x the stake receives only 10x the votes.

That sentence is quoted from section 10.1. The whitepaper's reason is just as short: it structurally limits whale domination and gives coordinated smaller holders real collective power.

Three ways to count a vote

Most votes are counted one of two ways. ZPZ is designed to use a third.

Whale vs. the crowd, worked through

Take the example on the scale at the top of this post. These are example figures, not real ZPZ holdings, chosen to make the comparison fair: one wallet stakes 100,000,000 ZPZ, and 1,000 voters stake 100,000 ZPZ each. Both sides hold exactly the same 100,000,000 ZPZ.

• One token, one vote: a tie, 100,000,000 votes each.
• ZPZ votes: the whale has the square root of 100,000,000, which is 10,000 votes. Each voter has the square root of 100,000, about 316 votes, so together the crowd has 316,228. The crowd wins by more than 30 to 1.
• The turning point: in this example, 32 voters staking 100,000 ZPZ each would be enough to outvote the whale. Counted one token, one vote, it would take 1,001 of them.

Now try your own numbers. Move the sliders to change the whale and the crowd. The rule never changes; only the example stakes do.

Six rules designed to stop vote buying

Square root voting limits how much one large stake can do. These rules from section 10.1 limit how votes can be gamed around it.

1. A snapshot comes first. Voting power is fixed one hour before voting begins. ZPZ bought or staked after that point carries no votes on that proposal, so buying ZPZ during a vote adds nothing to it.
2. Only staked ZPZ votes. Unstaked balances carry zero votes, including any tokens in the treasury or development wallets. The staking terms are in section 4 of the whitepaper.
3. No voting on your own proposal. A proposer cannot vote on it, and the whitepaper says this is enforced in the contract.
4. At most 10 proposals a year. Each proposer may create up to 10 proposals per rolling year, so no one can flood the ballot.
5. At least 3 days to vote. Every proposal stays open for a minimum of three days.
6. A real majority to pass. A proposal needs more than 50% of the votes cast, plus a minimum level of participation.

What ZPZ holders are designed to decide

Votes matter because of what they control. The whitepaper describes three kinds of decision designed to go to a holder vote.

• Treasury spending Planned

  Under the treasury policy, spends from $25k to $250k are designed to go to a DAO vote, and spends above $250k need a higher quorum and a timelock. Smaller spends sit with a council, capped at $100k a month.

  Read section 10.2

• Access tier thresholds Planned

  Access to EZPZ tools is designed in fixed ZPZ amounts. If market conditions make a tier impractical for new users, its threshold may be adjusted through DAO governance.

  Read section 3.1

• Ending guardian powers Planned

  Guardian powers are designed to sunset after 12 months, or earlier if a DAO vote ends them.

  Read section 10.2

Built in the open

Every voting system has trade-offs. ZPZ's whitepaper states its own plainly in section 10.3, so holders can judge the design with all the facts.

• Splitting wallets. One person could split a large stake across many wallets to collect more votes. The contract cannot reliably tell which wallets belong to the same person.
• Open by design. Any staker can vote, with no allowlist and no identity check. That keeps voting open to everyone, and it is also why splitting is possible.
• Watching, not blocking. The available check is observation: designated project wallets are published, so anyone can track their balances, staking and votes on-chain.
• Numbers still to come. The minimum stake to propose, the minimum to vote and the participation level are configurable and published on-chain. The whitepaper does not set them yet.

Square root voting is designed to make a whale's job far harder, and every rule behind it is public.

FAQ

What is quadratic voting in ZPZ?

It is the rule that your votes equal the square root of your staked ZPZ. A holder with 100 times the stake gets 10 times the votes. It is set out in section 10.1 of the whitepaper.

Can a whale still win a ZPZ vote?

Yes, if it has more votes than everyone voting against it. A large stake still counts for more than a small one. Square root voting only means a crowd needs far fewer voters to outvote it than under one token, one vote.

Do tokens in the treasury vote?

No. Only staked ZPZ votes, and unstaked balances, including any tokens in the treasury or development wallets, carry zero votes.

Can I buy ZPZ during a vote and use it?

No. Voting power is fixed by a snapshot one hour before voting begins. ZPZ bought or staked after the snapshot has no votes on that proposal.

When can I vote?

ZPZ is launching, and governance is not open yet. The launch targets are on the roadmap, and targets can move.

Start here

Read section 10 of the whitepaper for every governance rule. Then follow one token through its planned jobs in How ZPZ Coin Works, and see the supply rules in ZPZ Coin Tokenomics. For news as it lands, follow @ZPZcoin on X.