Before you can vote on proposals, you must delegate your voting power. Delegation activates your tokens so they can be used for voting. It's a required first step before participating in any vote.
What Is Delegation?
Delegation assigns your tokens' voting power to an address. Your tokens remain yours; the delegate only receives the voting power, not the tokens themselves.
You can:
Delegate to yourself (self-delegation)
Delegate to another address
Either way, you keep full control and ownership of your tokens, and you can change your mind anytime.
Self-Delegation
Most voters self-delegate, which means assigning voting power to your own address.
This is the simplest option if you want to vote yourself.
Note: By staking in the Safety Module on any network, you automatically self-delegate your WELL to your address. No extra steps are required to delegate your tokens.
Delegating to Someone Else
You can delegate to another address if you'd prefer someone else to vote on your behalf. This is useful if you don't have time to follow proposals closely.
When you delegate to someone else, that person (the delegate) can vote with your tokens' voting power. You can change your delegate at any time.
How to Delegate
Go to the Governance page.
Select the Voting Power tab.
Review your voting power breakdown. You'll see:
Delegated tokens
Staked tokens (these automatically delegate to yourself)
Holdings
Find your undelegated tokens and click Activate Voting Power.
Enter the delegate address:
To self-delegate, click Self.
To delegate to another address, paste their address.
Click Save Changes.
Confirm the transaction in your wallet.
Wait for the transaction to confirm on the blockchain.
Your voting power is now active and ready to use.
How to Change Your Delegate
If your voting power stays the same but you want a different delegate:
Go to the Governance page.
Select the Voting Power tab.
Click Change Delegate next to your delegated tokens.
Enter the new delegate address, or click Self.
Click Save Changes.
Confirm the transaction.
Your delegation is updated. You can change your delegate as often as you like.
Automatic Delegation of New Tokens
Once you delegate your tokens, any new tokens you acquire automatically inherit the same delegation. You don't need to delegate them again.
Important Notes
Delegation does NOT transfer ownership of your tokens.
You can change your delegate at any time.
Staked tokens are automatically self-delegated.
New tokens you receive inherit your previous delegation.
Once delegated, your tokens count toward voting power immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does delegating give away my tokens?
No. Delegation only assigns voting power. You keep full ownership and can change or revoke it anytime.
Why delegate to someone else?
If you don't have time to follow proposals, a trusted delegate can vote on your behalf while you keep your tokens.
Do I need to re-delegate new tokens?
No. New tokens inherit your existing delegation automatically.