The highly anticipated ApeCoin election began its first day of voting on Thursday, June 15 at 6pm EST. The election has attracted increased attention and has been amplified by the many daily Twitter spaces about the subject. This intense interest comes not only from members of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), but also from those outside these communities who want to understand the structure and dynamics of the election.
The increase in attention is due in no small part to the recent controversy over the fees and allowances of the special councilors. However, the ApeCoin DAO is not only holding an election for members of the special council, but they are also holding an election to elect new stewards.
If you are not an active member of BAYC or MAYC, are an ApeCoin holder, or just want to get an insight into how the election works, we’ve teamed up with ApeCoin DAO Secretary Volcano to make things easier to understand. Here’s an overview of what you need to know.
Available positions
Currently there are two places open for members of the special council and two Steward openings. Members elected to the ApeCoin DAO can serve up to two terms at a time.
In November 2022, three councilors – Steinbeck, Bajwa and Wu – have left their positions in the DAO. Following a community vote on January 1, 2023, ApeCoin DAO inducted BoredApe G, Vera, and Gerry as new councilors. The positions currently available are the expiring positions of Alexis Ohanian and Yat Siu.
“As for WebSlinger, there may or may not be an election for a DAO admin in the future,” Vulkan now told nft. “WebSlinger is currently under contract and should propose a new contract before their term expires if they want it to be voted on by the DAO.”
Who’s running?
These are the Special Council nominees. There were originally 21 nominees (shown above), but Evil and Houdinifr dropped out. Each candidate’s profile, including nomination statement, motivation and rationale, can be viewed on the official ApeCoin website.
The candidates running for Steward are listed here:
Who is eligible to vote?
Anyone who owns $APE will be able to vote. One $APE = one vote. You can currently vote on the voting link. Any ApeCoin purchased after June 14 at approximately 4:15 pm +UTC is not counted in the first round of voting.
How can I see how the candidates are doing?
Anyone who is curious how the elections are going can see on Snapshot which candidates are in the lead. The two green items at the top of the page are for the current Round 1 elections.
Here are the current top 15 for Special Council at the time of publication:
Voting period
The bright side ✨ You know how to be better prepared for when Round 2 is coming^^ (June 22-28) pic.twitter.com/2bvkuxXXmC
— Sera☆ (@SeraStargirl) June 15, 2023
There are two rounds of voting: The first round, currently held from June 15 to June 21, narrows down the nominees to five finalists. Round two, taking place from June 22 to June 28, will further narrow it down to the top two finalists. The election closes on June 28.
The dates and deadlines are for both the Special Council and Governance Steward elections.