A vote on a proposal in the Internet Computer's governance system can pass in two ways:
- Absolute Majority: At any point, even before the voting period ends, if an absolute majority (more than half of the total voting power) has voted "yes," then the proposal is adopted. If an absolute majority has voted "no," then the proposal is rejected.
- Simple Majority: When the voting period ends, if a simple majority (more than half of the cast votes) has voted "yes" and the number of these yes-votes constitute at least 3% of the total voting power, then the proposal is adopted. Otherwise, the proposal is rejected.
The governance voting algorithm also applies to the "wait for quiet" period, which decides on proposals quickly if all voters agree, but increases the time that neurons can vote for proposals that are more controversial. Depending on the neurons’ votes, the voting period can be dramatically increased.
For Service Nervous System (SNS) proposals, there are normal and critical proposals. Critical proposals require two thirds of the votes to be in favor of it and at least 20% of the totally available voting power in favor of the proposal (enough participation).
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