With the governance era now enabled on Cardano, users will need to perform various governance actions to help steer the direction of the Cardano ecosystem.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to find a DRep and delegate to them the responsibility of representing you in the Cardano ecosystem.
Contents
Video on How to Delegate Your Wallet to a DRep using Eternl Mobile
What Is a DRep?
A Delegated Representative, or DRep for short, is a community member knowledgeable about matters related to Cardano and, as such, can vote on behalf of members who do not have the knowledge or experience to do so.
Anyone with ADA can register as a DRep. Registration requires a 500 ADA deposit, which is returned to the user when the user deregisters. Each DRep is assigned a unique ID that represents them as a DRep.
Community members within the Cardano ecosystem who wish to assign their voting power to these DReps can do so simply by delegating their voting power from their wallets to these representatives.
DReps are held in high regard. They are there to act in the best interest of the Cardano ecosystem and are required to publish their voting decisions, making them clear and transparent for all involved.
You can learn more about DReps from the Intersect Documentation website.
Where to Find DReps
In this example, I will be using my DRep ID, which you can delegate to: drep127pc58jyky40fvess0c4tjxkrnkf8ta3sfltvm4ptypqc5fgav3
There are also DRep explorer websites where you can read about each DRep and better understand what they do, what they stand for and potentially how they will vote on various Governance Actions. Connecting, engaging, and following the DRep you have delegated is important to ensure they vote in your best interests. If your ideals and what they are voting for don’t align, it is best to find a new DRep.
How to Delegate Your Voting Power to a DRep
These steps allow you to delegate your wallet to a DRep within Cardano.
Time 5 minutes
Navigate to Blockchain Governance
Choose the wallet you wish to delegate and navigate to “Vote” and then “Blockchain Governance”.
Enter the DRep ID
Under “New Vote Delegation,” expand the drop-down menu and choose “Specify DRep ID.”
Enter the DRep ID of the person or entity you wish to delegate your voting power towards.
In this case, we are using my personal DRep ID:
drep127pc58jyky40fvess0c4tjxkrnkf8ta3sfltvm4ptypqc5fgav3
Confirm and Sign the Transaction
Enter in your password and sign the transaction to be submitted on-chain.
Success
After a few moments, the transaction will go on-chain and you will see your Current Vote Delegation status as Active. This means you have successfully delegated your wallet to a DRep.
Tools:
- Eternl Wallet Mobile App
Checking Your Delegation
Various blockchain explorers list the governance activity of a DRep. You can use this to check the status of your delegation and ensure it has been delegated to the correct person.
Visit my DRep profile on 1694.io.
From the profile, click “Delegates” and search for your stake address from the list of addresses that have been delegated to the DRep. You can sort the delegates by the latest first, and you should see your wallet stake key and wallet balance close to the top of the list.
Congratulations! You have now taken the first steps to governance on Cardano and actively participate.
Delegating Your Voting Power to Peter
If you wish to delegate your voting power to me, you can do so by using my DRep ID:
drep127pc58jyky40fvess0c4tjxkrnkf8ta3sfltvm4ptypqc5fgav3
