NDC Election Integrity — Voter Verification Update

Firstly, a heartfelt thanks to the NEAR and broader Web3 community for the overwhelming excitement and participation. The turnout for the Inaugural NDC Election surpassed our expectations. With voter registration and OG SBT claims now closed, our collective attention turns to ensuring the election’s integrity. The credibility of our ecosystem’s inaugural election is of paramount importance. In recent weeks, the Governance Working Group (GWG) has actively solicited feedback from the community on voter eligibility, addressing concerns about potentially suspicious accounts and fortifying election integrity. Today, we’re proud to announce the finalized Voter Eligibility criteria.

Verified Voter Criteria

A Verified Voter is a confirmed human user that:

• Has an account created before APR 1 ’23 and has greater than or equal to 50 transactions.

Or

• Holds one or more SBTs that underscore their human activity via NDC Contribution/OG SBT Status.

Secure Your Vote with a 3 NEAR Bond. Verified Voters must deposit a 3 NEAR bond, showcasing their commitment to a genuine election process. Any breach of the fair voting policy will lead to the forfeiture of this bond, emphasizing the importance of upholding our election standards.

Note: The number of verified voters will continue to increase up to the election based on the issuance of NDC Contributor SBTs, OG SBTs, and ReVerification via the EIC.

UnVerified Voter Criteria

An UnVerified Voter is a confirmed human user:

• Has an account created after APR 1 ’23 & Less than 50 transactions

Or

• Does not possess any approved SBTs (OG, GWG Core Contributor, NDC Contributor) that indicate a higher degree of human activity.

To be eligible to vote, an UnVerified voter must opt for one of the following:

1. PREFERRED (Instant) — Deposit a 300 NEAR Bond for Immediate Voting Rights. UnVerified Voters can gain immediate voting eligibility by posting a substantial bond of 300 NEAR. A breach of the fair voting policy will lead to the bond’s forfeiture, reinforcing the importance of adhering to our election principles.
2. RECOMMENDED (1–3 days) — Complete KYC: If you’re considering contributing to or drawing funds from the NDC, completing the KYC not only grants you verified voter status but also expedites any funding requests or approved gigs.

👉🏼 Complete NDC KYC

3. LIMITED (3+ Days) — Engage with the Election Integrity Council: Opt for a video call to reconfirm your identity and validate access to your wallet through an on-chain transaction.

👉🏼 Schedule a Voter Verification call with the EIC

⚠️ The EIC is dedicated to addressing all appeals diligently. However, given our constraints on time and resources, we highly recommend opting for the 300N BOND or proceeding with the KYC. Be advised that selecting re-verification through the EIC might not guarantee verification before the election ends.

Blacklisted Criteria

Being Blacklisted implies:

• A human user that matches certain criteria designed to detect potential vote manipulation based on patterns observed during the Regional Communities DAO election.

Those on the blacklist will need to:

• Engage in a video call to reaffirm their identity and confirm access to their wallet through an on-chain transaction.
• They will also need to address the concerns and discrepancies that led to their blacklisting, providing evidence or explanations to clarify any misunderstood or suspicious activities associated with their account.

Please note while we’ve employed rigorous detection mechanisms, being blacklisted doesn’t directly imply wrongdoing. For transparency, here are some general methods we’ve applied (without divulging specifics that could be exploited):

1. Voting Time Sequence: Analyzing patterns based on the timing of votes in relation to others.
2. Controlled Account Voting: Identifying votes from multiple accounts that seem to be controlled or scripted.
3. Account Funding Sequencing: Detecting voting patterns based on the source of funds.

👉🏼 Schedule an NDC Blacklist Appeal with EIC

How to Verify Voter Status

You will be able to verify your voter status on IamHuman — The IamHuman application will be updated with the Verified, Unverified, and Blacklist eligibility. An announcement will be made on Twitter and the NDC Hub once available.

Note: The number of verified voters will continue to increase up to the election based on the issuance of NDC Contributor SBTs, OG SBTs, and ReVerification via the EIC.

Election Integrity Safeguards

Safeguard 1: Enforcing a Fair Voting Policy

Voters pledge not to sell their votes under penalty of having their vote removed by the Election Integrity Committee (EIC) and further enforcement actions by the Transparency Commission (TC).

Safeguard 2: Mandating Candidate Transparency and Accountability

Candidates must commit against vote-buying as a fundamental tenet of their candidacy, with enforcement by the TC. Potential candidates must hold an OG SBT to declare candidacy.

Safeguard 3: Implementing Vote Bonding

Participants stake NEAR tokens to vote, which are forfeited if they engage in vote manipulation, providing a strong financial disincentive against fraud.

Safeguard 4: Real-time and Post-Election Review

This entity will monitor election results in real time and conduct post-election reviews to identify and investigate any anomalies.

Safeguard 5: Establishing a Whistleblower Program and Bounty

We encourage and reward individuals who provide credible evidence of election fraud, further bolstering the integrity of our voting system. The Whistleblower program!

What Qualifies as Vote-Buying

Our guiding principle for the NDC Election is simple: one natural person, one vote. Vote buying undermines this ethos. To ensure every member understands our guidelines, here are explicit actions considered vote-buying:

1. Quid Pro Quo: Exchanging favors or advantages for votes.
2. Controlled Accounts: Instances where an individual or a group controls multiple accounts to cast votes.
3. Voting Time Series: Spotting accounts funded or created by specific entities that vote in a discernible pattern or sequence.

For a comprehensive understanding, please review our Fair Voter Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the EIC?

• EIC stands for the Election Integrity Council. It’s a body responsible for ensuring that voting processes are transparent, fair, and free from manipulation.

2. Why is there a bond of 300 NEAR for UnVerified voters?

• The bond acts as a measure to ensure genuine participation and discourages malicious activities. If the fair voting policy is violated, the bond will be forfeited, ensuring participants adhere to the rules.

3. I’ve been blacklisted but haven’t done anything wrong. What should I do?

• We understand your concerns. Being blacklisted doesn’t directly imply wrongdoing. It simply means that there were patterns in your voting or account that matched our criteria for vote manipulation. Please engage with the Election Integrity Council through a video call to reaffirm your identity.

4. Why can’t you disclose all the criteria used for blacklisting?

• While we aim to be transparent, revealing all specifics could provide malicious actors with insights on how to bypass our systems. We’ve provided general methods to maintain a balance between transparency and security.

5. What is KYC and why is it necessary?

• KYC stands for “Know Your Customer.” It’s a verification process where users provide certain identification documents to verify their identity. For our election process, completing the KYC ensures that voters are genuine and expedites any funding requests or approved gigs from the NDC.

6. Can I choose more than one option to verify my UnVerified voter status?

• While you can technically undergo multiple verification methods, you only need to choose one of the provided options to be eligible to vote.

7. What exactly is vote-buying and why is it discouraged?

• Vote-buying refers to any practices where votes are manipulated or influenced unfairly, such as exchanging favors or controlling multiple accounts to cast votes. It undermines the principle of one person, one vote and compromises the integrity of the election process. Please see the Fair Voter Policy for more details.

8. How can I ensure that my vote counts and isn’t considered manipulation?

• Ensure you adhere to the guidelines in the “What Qualifies as Vote-Buying” section and review the Fair Voter Policy. When in doubt, reach out to the Election Integrity Council for guidance.

Remember, the goal is a transparent, fair, and robust election process that reflects the true voice of our community. Your participation and vigilance make that possible. Thank you!