SORA Governance

Governance is the process by which a decentralized network makes collective decisions. In SORA, this means deciding how newly minted XOR is allocated, which runtime upgrades are approved, and how the ecosystem evolves over time.

SORA’s governance model is designed to be democratic, transparent, and resistant to plutocracy—ensuring that no single entity or wealthy minority can control the network’s future.

Current State: Governance V1

The SORA network currently operates under Governance V1, a system adapted from Polkadot’s original governance framework (prior to OpenGov). This system provides stability and predictability while the more advanced SORA Parliament is developed.

Governance Bodies

Governance V1 consists of three primary bodies:

Council

Elected representatives who propose referenda, cancel dangerous proposals, and represent the community’s interests.

Technical Committee

Experts who can fast-track urgent proposals (like security fixes) without the normal voting period.

Parliament

All XOR holders who vote on referenda to make final decisions on proposals.

How Governance V1 Works

Proposal Creation

Anyone can submit a proposal by bonding XOR. Proposals can include runtime upgrades, parameter changes, treasury spending, or other network modifications.
Council Review

The Council reviews proposals and decides which ones to put forward as referenda. They can also create their own proposals.
Referendum Period

Approved proposals enter a voting period where all XOR holders can vote. Votes are weighted by the amount of XOR held and the conviction (lock-up period) chosen.
Enactment

Passed referenda are enacted after a delay period, giving the network time to prepare for changes.

Voting Mechanics

Governance V1 uses stake-weighted voting with conviction multipliers:

Lock Period	Conviction	Vote Weight
No lock	0.1x	10% of stake
1 week	1x	100% of stake
2 weeks	2x	200% of stake
4 weeks	3x	300% of stake
8 weeks	4x	400% of stake
16 weeks	5x	500% of stake
32 weeks	6x	600% of stake

This system rewards long-term commitment: voters who lock their XOR for longer periods have more influence on decisions.

The SORA Parliament: Future Governance

The SORA Parliament represents the future of SORA governance—a sophisticated multi-body system designed to be more inclusive, fair, and resistant to manipulation than traditional token-weighted voting.

The Problem with Token Voting

Most blockchain governance systems use simple token-weighted voting, which leads to:

Plutocracy — Wealthy holders dominate decisions
Voter apathy — Small holders feel their vote doesn’t matter
Centralization — Exchanges and funds accumulate voting power
Short-termism — Speculation over long-term ecosystem health

The SORA Parliament addresses these issues through sortition-based democracy.

What is Sortition?

Sortition is a governance mechanism where participants are randomly selected rather than elected or self-selected based on token holdings. This is how ancient Athenian democracy worked and has several advantages:

Fair representation — Anyone can be selected, not just the wealthy
Prevents plutocracy — Token holdings don’t determine power
Resistant to bribery — Random selection is harder to corrupt
Encourages participation — Everyone has a real chance of being chosen

Parliament Structure

The SORA Parliament will consist of multiple specialized bodies:

Citizenship and XOR Bonds

To participate in the SORA Parliament, individuals become citizens by posting XOR bonds:

Bond XOR — Lock XOR tokens as a commitment to good governance
Become Eligible — Enter the pool of potential governance participants
Random Selection — Be sortitioned into governance bodies
Serve Terms — Participate in governance duties
Recover Bond — Get your XOR back after honest participation

Bonds can be slashed for malicious behavior, creating economic incentives for honest participation.

Main Task: XOR Allocation

The Parliament’s primary responsibility is allocating newly minted XOR to productive projects. This includes:

Development grants
Ecosystem initiatives
Infrastructure funding
Community programs
Strategic investments

Rather than arbitrary inflation, new XOR is directed toward value-creating activities chosen by the community through the Parliament.

On-Chain Governance Mechanics

All SORA governance happens on-chain, meaning:

Transparency — Every proposal and vote is publicly recorded
Immutability — Past decisions can be audited and verified
Automation — Approved changes execute automatically
No gatekeepers — Anyone can participate according to the rules

Proposal Lifecycle

graph LR
    A[Draft Proposal] --> B[Bond XOR]
    B --> C[Submit On-Chain]
    C --> D[Council Review]
    D --> E[Referendum]
    E --> F{Vote Passes?}
    F -->|Yes| G[Enactment Queue]
    F -->|No| H[Proposal Fails]
    G --> I[Execute Changes]

Types of Proposals

Proposal Type	Description	Typical Timeline
Runtime Upgrade	Code changes to the network	2-4 weeks
Parameter Change	Adjust network settings	1-2 weeks
Treasury Spending	Allocate community funds	2-3 weeks
Emergency Fix	Critical security patches	Fast-tracked

Governance Parameters

Key parameters that governance can modify:

Transaction fees — Base fee levels and burn percentages
Staking parameters — Validator counts, reward rates
Bridge settings — Cross-chain configurations
Token parameters — TBC reserve ratios, fee structures

Governance in SORA Nexus (v3)

The transition to SORA Nexus brings significant governance enhancements:

Hybrid DAO Framework

SORA v3 governance will be a hybrid model:

Parliamentary Structure — Maintained for strategic oversight
Modular Logic — Governance encoded in Iroha Special Instructions (ISIs)
Domain-Specific — Different governance for different areas

Governance Surfaces

Governance surfaces in SORA Nexus define where and how governance applies:

Configuration — iroha_config is the source of truth
Parameter Sets — Versioned, on-chain governance parameters
Attestations — Cryptographic certificates for governance actions
Data Spaces — Each data space can have customized governance

Council and Assembly

The Nexus governance structure includes:

Council — Fixed seats filled by NPoS/appointment
Assembly — Stake-weighted or one-person-one-vote participation

Selection uses VRF (Verifiable Random Function) sortition with defined thresholds, ensuring fair and verifiable randomness.

Runtime Upgrades

Governance-controlled runtime upgrades in SORA Nexus:

Governance Manifest

Proposal includes hashes, ABI versions, config, and activation slot
Stage and Verify

Network prepares for upgrade, verifies manifests match
Atomic Activation

At the specified slot, upgrade activates atomically
Reject Mismatches

Any manifest mismatch causes rejection

Participating in Governance

As a Voter

Any XOR holder can participate in Governance V1:

Navigate to the governance portal
Review active proposals
Choose your vote (Aye/Nay)
Select conviction (lock period)
Submit your vote

As a Proposer

To create a proposal:

Draft your proposal clearly
Bond the required XOR
Submit on-chain
Engage with the community
Respond to Council feedback

As a Council Member

Council members are elected by the community and have additional responsibilities:

Review incoming proposals
Propose new referenda
Cancel dangerous proposals
Represent community interests

Governance Best Practices

Common Governance Questions

Q: Can I change my vote? A: Yes, during the voting period you can update your vote.

Q: What happens to my locked XOR? A: It remains locked for the conviction period you selected, then becomes available.

Q: How do I get on the Council? A: Council members are elected by XOR holders. Announce your candidacy and campaign.

Q: What’s the minimum XOR needed to vote? A: There’s no minimum, but gas fees apply to voting transactions.

Summary

SORA governance evolves through three phases:

Phase	System	Key Feature
Current	Governance V1	Council + referendum model
Transition	Enhanced V1	Preparation for Parliament
Future	SORA Parliament	Sortition-based democracy

The goal is a governance system that is:

Fair — No plutocracy, everyone has a voice
Efficient — Decisions made in reasonable timeframes
Secure — Resistant to attacks and manipulation
Transparent — All actions visible on-chain
Evolutionary — Can adapt and improve over time

Learn More

SORA Parliament Deep dive into the future governance model

Sortition How random selection creates fair governance

XOR Bonds Citizenship bonds and governance staking

Governance V1 Current governance system details

Next Steps

SORA Nexus — Governance enhancements in SORA v3
Tokenomics — Economic model governed by Parliament