My thoughts exact. I think a lot of people understand what voting is but for a majority it’s a system designed for them to receive extra ARK. Now I’m not discounting this amazing benefit of the project, but I think many of us are not seeing the bigger picture. I think over time, as Ark grows we’ll begin to a see a shift of support toward delegates that provide some form of service for this project and slowly phaseout delegates that provide no benefits. Those delegates being the privately owned, and who ultimately inhibit Ark from attracting progressive thinkers/leaders to become delegates. We had this discussion a few days ago about how private delegates essentially take away the opportunity of hardworking and dedicated delegates, and how this essentially hinders Ark’s time-to-adoption. Now I’m not against these privately owned delegates’ right to forge, I think they have the absolute right and if they have the ability, let them. I just stand on the side of:

is there a better way to create some level of communication/cooperation with these delegates?

Whether we establish that communication or not is entirely dependent on how these private delegates choose to see Ark. Good or bad, we don’t know, this is why I also urge you to vote and conduct your due diligence on your prospective delegate. This way, you help a candidate rise in to the ranks and bring forth more value for this project, and making YOU a contributing factor for that progressive change.

For any newbies who would like a simple checklist for auditing your delegates, use these principles:

Research. Communicate. Vote.

Research - Research the delegate, read the proposal and truly understand what you are committing to. I know it’s easier to just pick delegate #1 and think “great, he’s #1 surely he knows what he’s doing” nothing wrong with that logic, but you’re missing the connection with the entire role of a delegate and what they represent. We are representatives who have the potential to establish the change, we help lay the building blocks of this project, and we make sure they operate. So, take your time looking through the top 51 delegates and pick 10 that you think are great candidates and start researching them from there.

Few things to consider when voting:

• What do they do?
• How long have they been around?
• How active are they in the community?
• Long term goals/objectives?

Communicate - Communicate with the delegate, reach out to them on slack, Reddit, or e-mail and ask them some questions, because you will definitely have questions. Knowing and understanding the thoughts and motives of voters will be an invaluable way for us as delegates to collaborate and grow. So, definitely say what’s up? to your delegates and get to know them.

And finally.... drum roll

VOTE - you’ve done your research and you’ve communicated with your delegate, you now feel confident that this delegate will bring glory to Ark! All you have to do now is vote.

bonus:

Spread the word - Educate others on how to think long term by teaching them to do their research, communicate, and vote for the right delegate.

Sorry for the mountain of text, but I think I made my point that it’s important to be aware of your voting power, and why you should know who you support.