Path forward on Working Group Elections
I’m posting this in personal capacity, several delegates on last week’s MetaGov call encouraged me to put a concrete proposal forward rather than continue waiting. Stewards and delegates, please push back in this thread if any of this misrepresents your view.
Status
In December 2025, the DAO voted to delay Working Group elections so stewards could support the DAO retrospective, with elections expected to resume by April 1 if the retro completed on time. The retro was published in early May, several weeks past that target.
Two structural proposals are now in discussion:
- Working Group Restructure proposal by James (FireEye), open since late April.
- Expanding the ENS Foundation Board to Strengthen Operational Accountability, open since March 18.
The result is that stewards are operating at reduced capacity with no clear mandate and no election timeline. This post is a proposal to break that inertia by setting a clear sequence: forum discussion this week, a Social Proposal to lock in the election timeline before May 31, a structural decision deadline of May 31, and elections in June with Term 7 starting July 1.
Proposed timeline
Phase 1: forum discussion (May 12 to May 19)
This post is open for community discussion for 7 days. Delegates, stewards, and proposers, please share views and pushback in this thread.
Phase 2: Social Proposal (around May 19 to May 24)
Around May 19, after this discussion period, I publish a Social Proposal that codifies two things:
- The election fallback timeline (the dates in Phase 4 below).
- The Term 7 Compensation Guidelines (the exact same structure we have now).
Phase 3: structural decision deadline (May 31)
May 31 is the deadline for the Working Group Restructure proposal to reach a concluded Snapshot vote.
- If it concludes with a decision by May 31, Term 7 elections run under whatever structure that decision produces, still targeting July 1 as the start of Term 7.
- If it does not, the Social Proposal’s fallback timeline activates and elections run under the current 3-WG structure.
Phase 4: elections and Term 7 start (June 1 to July 1)
Working backwards from a Term 7 start on July 1, 9am UTC, using the ENS DAO Working Group Rules:
- June 1 to June 22: Nomination Window. Nominees self-nominate in the relevant working group category and gather the 10,000 signed votes required by WG Rule 4.4. Three weeks gives realistic time for off-cycle nominations, vs. the standard 72-hour window.
- June 25, 9am UTC: Snapshot voting opens. Voting period is 120 hours per WG Rule 5.1.
- June 30, 9am UTC: Voting closes.
- July 1, 9am UTC: Term 7 begins. Outgoing Term 6 stewards step down. Newly elected stewards take their seats (WG Rule 6.2 and 6.3).
- Within first 5 days of July: Each working group appoints its Lead Steward (WG Rule 8.1). Stewards across working groups collaborate to appoint a Secretary (WG Rule 9.1).
- July (Funding Window): Term 7 stewards collaborate on the Collective Proposal to request working group funds for the new term.
In short: forum discussion this week. Social Proposal posted around May 19 and voting through by May 25. May 31 restructure deadline. Nominations open June 1. Voting opens June 25. Term 7 starts July 1.
Open question: working group operations until July 1
Between now and the start of Term 7 on July 1, what is the operating model for each working group?
Two options appeared in different moments of the conversation:
- All three working groups continue at minimum-viable activity through their current terms.
- Only MetaGov continues as is, with scribe and secretary. Ecosystem and Public Goods pause new commitments until the structural direction is clear.
My current understanding is that stewards are suggesting option 2 to be already valid on May. Appreciate delegate and steward input here.
What this means concretely
For current stewards. Be ready to support the nomination and election process from June 1. ENS token compensation also need to be disbursed, taking in consideration the 6 months TWAP.
For the Working Group Restructure proposal. The deadline to reach a concluded snapshot vote is May 31. I’m happy to help with drafting and feedback consolidation. If May 31 is not workable, please raise it in this thread.
For the Foundation Board proposal. The same May 31 deadline applies if its outcome should affect Term 7 elections under a different structure. If not, it can move on its own timeline post-elections.
For delegates. Please share views in this thread by May 19. Silence on the timeline will be read as soft consent. The Social Proposal will then formalize the path before the structural deadline.