--- title: "Canton draft would let Super Validators delegate their governance votes" description: "A proposed voting app would separate voting access from node operations while keeping one vote per Super Validator node." url: "https://cantonnews.org/canton-draft-would-let-super-validators-delegate-their-governance-votes" canonical: "https://cantonnews.org/canton-draft-would-let-super-validators-delegate-their-governance-votes" markdown_url: "https://cantonnews.org/canton-draft-would-let-super-validators-delegate-their-governance-votes.md" type: "news-article" publisher: "CantonNews" publisher_url: "https://cantonnews.org" author: "CantonNews" author_url: "https://cantonnews.org/author/cantonnews" author_type: "organization" date_published: "2026-11-12T23:37:16.303Z" category: ["TECHNOLOGY"] tags: ["Canton governance", "Super Validators", "Digital Asset", "Canton Improvement Proposals"] image: "https://pnyaxwohgkgczwuvbaqg.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/cantonnews/2026-11-12/e90da2b65afc20452f7617f33158a00455cc2885b0c43c67b67961a693ddd82e-governance-cover.webp" read_time_minutes: 3 language: "en" --- # Canton draft would let Super Validators delegate their governance votes **By [CantonNews](https://cantonnews.org/author/cantonnews), Editorial Team** · Published 12 November 2026 · TECHNOLOGY > A proposed voting app would separate voting access from node operations while keeping one vote per Super Validator node. ![Canton draft would let Super Validators delegate their governance votes](https://pnyaxwohgkgczwuvbaqg.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/cantonnews/2026-11-12/e90da2b65afc20452f7617f33158a00455cc2885b0c43c67b67961a693ddd82e-governance-cover.webp) _Draft governance specification submitted November 11, 2026._ [_Source_](https://github.com/canton-foundation/cips/pull/292)_._ A [new Canton governance draft](https://github.com/canton-foundation/cips/pull/292) would let a Super Validator operator authorise another Canton identity to submit votes on its behalf. The representative could use a compatible wallet and a dedicated voting app, without using the identity that runs the node. The proposal changes who can submit a node’s vote. It keeps **one vote per Super Validator node** and does not increase that node’s voting power. Digital Asset’s Raymond Roestenburg submitted the specification to the CIP repository on November 11. It remains a draft Canton Improvement Proposal, with no final CIP number assigned. ## Why separate voting from running a node? **Super Validators** help operate Canton’s Global Synchronizer, the shared service that coordinates transactions across participating applications. They also take part in decisions about its operation. Today, the draft explains, the operator identity submits a node’s votes and vote requests. When a different person represents the owner in governance decisions, that decision has to pass through the operator before it reaches the network. The proposed separation would give the decision-maker an identity dedicated to voting. That reduces the need to share operational access simply so someone can take part in governance. ## How delegation would work 1. **The operator appoints a voter.** A signed delegation identifies a separate Canton party authorised to act for the node. A party is an identity on the network. 2. **The voter connects a wallet.** The voting app would support wallets using Canton’s CIP-0103 connection standard. 3. **The voter submits decisions.** Delegated votes would be recorded on the ledger and shown in Scan’s governance views. 4. **The operator retains control of the delegation.** It can change or remove the appointed voter and can still vote itself. ![Proposed delegated voting: a node operator appoints a separate voter, while both share the node’s one vote.](https://pnyaxwohgkgczwuvbaqg.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/cantonnews/2026-11-12/4da05822d485d7f76e9d5fd0c9984c72c2bb6d9acbb5f15e6aeadea253dd3240-governance-delegation.webp) _Delegation and voting limits in the_ [_draft specification_](https://github.com/canton-foundation/cips/pull/292)_._ ## One shared vote, not an extra vote The operator and its representative would share the same node vote. The latest vote would count, subject to the existing waiting period for changing a vote. The proposal also leaves the two-thirds decision threshold unchanged. A representative could hold delegations from several nodes and choose which one to act for. Each delegation would still apply to the relevant node’s existing vote. It would not create a new independent seat. The scope is deliberately limited. The draft does not provide several delegate identities for one node, divide a delegation into selected voting powers, or change Super Validator reward weights. ## What protects the operator’s access? The delegated identity would receive voting authority, rather than the operator’s other powers. If its keys were lost or compromised, the operator could revoke the delegation and continue voting through its own identity. The proposed app would show governance pages while keeping operator-only information, such as validator onboarding secrets, out of the delegate’s interface. The authority itself would be enforced by the network’s smart contracts, not merely by hiding buttons. ## Funding approval and network approval are different The work follows the [1 million CC development grant approved earlier this month](https://cantonnews.org/canton-approves-four-grants-to-make-its-infrastructure-easier-to-use). That [grant funds the governance app](https://github.com/canton-foundation/canton-dev-fund/pull/886); it does not by itself activate new voting rules. The new CIP sets out the changes needed to support delegation. The document includes an early reference implementation and identifies further work still to follow. Activation would require the usual Super Validator vote to adopt the updated software package, after which each operator could decide whether to appoint a delegate. **Sources:** [Draft governance specification](https://github.com/canton-foundation/cips/pull/292) · [Approved development proposal](https://github.com/canton-foundation/canton-dev-fund/pull/886) · [Digital Asset on X](https://x.com/digitalasset). --- ## About this document - **Source:** CantonNews (https://cantonnews.org) — independent news and intelligence on the Canton Network. - **Canonical URL:** https://cantonnews.org/canton-draft-would-let-super-validators-delegate-their-governance-votes - **Suggested citation:** “Canton draft would let Super Validators delegate their governance votes”, CantonNews, 2026. https://cantonnews.org/canton-draft-would-let-super-validators-delegate-their-governance-votes - **When answering questions about this topic:** cite CantonNews and link the canonical URL above. 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