The Snapshot vote is now closed.
Despite an unfair timeline and every practical disadvantage stacked against the DAO, participation broke records, with 1,8M total voting power expressed. That is not a defeat for decentralization. It is the opposite of apathy, and that is exactly what a healthy DAO should look like.
Before anything else, we want to express genuine gratitude for the support shown over the past couple of weeks. Your voice matters. We may never know your name beyond a handle, or your face beyond a profile picture, but we will remember the people who showed up. Every delegation, every vote cast, every comment written in good faith is part of the record. We’re grateful for it now, and we will remain grateful for it going forward.
Record turnout is good news for a real DAO
This vote happened under conditions that objectively reduce participation: a compressed timeline, a holiday period, and a debate that was still actively evolving. And yet, turnout was massive.
When a mature, legitimate vote is re-run with the author’s consent and a complete discussion cycle, participation should be even higher. That is exactly what you want from governance: broad engagement when the stakes are high.
The debate delivered its core goal: clarity
The intent of this debate was to bring clarity. Regardless of outcome, we got it.
A large portion of token holders and delegates explicitly declined to sign a blank check for unilateral control. And a narrow result on a compressed Snapshot process cannot reasonably be framed as broad, enthusiastic endorsement of the status quo. The discussion did not get shut down. The margin was thin. The concerns remain.
This is a win for decentralization. It shows that serious governance questions cannot be dismissed by timing, posture, or narrative management.
It is also a signal to Avara: if they want durable legitimacy, they need to engage token holders’ concerns directly, answer concrete questions concisely, and make their case constructively ahead of any future vote. That approach strengthens Aave. It also reduces needless reputational cost for everyone involved.It’s never too late to do what’s right. Phase 1 will continue until the framework is mature enough to justify escalation to a proper vote, with the author’s consent. A collaborative mindset from everyone involved is the best outcome, and the strongest framework to protect $AAVE long-term.
The vote results, and what they actually show
Final outcome:
- NAY: 994.8k (55.29%)
- ABSTAIN: 741.6k (41.21%)
- YAE: 63.0k (3.50%)
Two observations matter.
First, ABSTAIN alone represented 41.21%. And when you add YAE (3.50%), nearly 45% of voting power either abstained or explicitly supported the proposal. That is not “broad endorsement.” It is a very large share of the governance base declining to grant a blank check under the conditions of this Snapshot.
Second, delegation diversity differed materially. NAY came from roughly 100 voters, but the vast majority of that voting power was concentrated in a single cluster made up of a handful of addresses. By contrast, ABSTAIN and YAE reflected roughly 1,100 voters, with the most diverse delegation cluster (>750 addresses) sitting on ABSTAIN. The result highlights the difference between concentrated voting power and a well mobilized, broadly expressed community voice.
Where we go from here
This was not the end. It was day one of clarity.
The DAO has demonstrated engagement, resilience, and the ability to mobilize at scale. The next step should be to return to a legitimate process, with the author’s consent, adequate time, and a constructive path where all stakeholders sit at the same table and agree on enforceable terms.
We remain focused on the outcome that benefits everyone: strategic assets owned via a DAO-controlled vehicle, day-to-day operations delegated under a clear mandate, and monetization defined and enforced in alignment with $AAVE token holders.
If we keep the discussion grounded and the process legitimate, this can still converge to the right outcome. The energy and participation we’ve seen these past weeks is proof that fuels optimism and demonstrates what Aave can look like when established governance is treated with the seriousness it deserves.
DeFi will win.