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The Solana Foundation has launched Solana Governance Proposals, giving validators and stakers a formal on-chain process for voting on protocol-level governance decisions.
The framework creates a separate lane for network governance questions, while technical implementation remains tied to Solana Improvement Documents.
Validators Need 100,000 SOL to Propose
Under the new system, a validator vote account needs at least 100,000 SOL staked to take a Solana Governance Proposal on-chain. The proposal must then gather support from validators representing at least 15% of active stake before it can move into a formal vote.
If it fails to reach that threshold, the proposal expires. The process is built around Solana epochs, which last roughly two days. Once a proposal reaches the support threshold, it moves through seven epochs of discussion, one epoch for a stake snapshot and three epochs of voting.
Two-Thirds of Decisive Stake Must Approve
Voting is stake-weighted, meaning influence depends on the amount of SOL behind each vote. A proposal passes if votes in favor reach at least two-thirds of the decisive stake that voted for or against it.
Abstentions are not counted in that approval threshold, and the framework does not set a minimum turnout requirement.
The voting process uses Merkle proofs to verify votes and publishes results on-chain. Proposal documents are tied to a fixed GitHub commit, so the version being voted on cannot be changed during the process.
Delegators Can Override Validator Votes
The framework also gives delegators a direct role when they disagree with their validator. SOL holders who stake through a validator can override that validator’s vote on a specific proposal by casting their own vote.
That reduces the risk that delegated stake is used in a way the token holder does not support. The change matters because Solana staking usually routes voting power through validators. The override system keeps delegation intact while giving stakers a way to intervene on governance decisions they care about.
SGP Votes Stay Separate From SIMDs
Solana Governance Proposals are not meant to replace Solana Improvement Documents. SGPs are for directional questions about whether the network should pursue a change. SIMDs remain the technical path for defining how protocol changes are built, reviewed and implemented.
That split gives validators and stakers a formal way to register support for policy or economic changes without turning every engineering update into a network-wide vote. The framework’s first major test will be whether Solana’s largest policy or economic debates use SGPs before technical work moves into SIMDs.
