# Cardano Governance: Fairness or Concentration of Power? (Open to discussion)

**URL:** <https://forum.cardano.org/t/cardano-governance-fairness-or-concentration-of-power-open-to-discussion/153316>\
**Category:** Governance\
**Tags:** cip-1694-dreps\
**Created:** [23 February 2026 20:31 UTC](https://forum.cardano.org/t/cardano-governance-fairness-or-concentration-of-power-open-to-discussion/153316 "2026-02-23T20:31:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mwatsimulamo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex023/user_avatar/forum.cardano.org/mwatsimulamo/32/90286_2.png) [@mwatsimulamo](https://forum.cardano.org/u/mwatsimulamo)\
**Post date:** [23 February 2026 20:31 UTC](https://forum.cardano.org/t/cardano-governance-fairness-or-concentration-of-power-open-to-discussion/153316/1 "2026-02-23T20:31:24Z")

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![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex023/uploads/cardano/original/3X/7/0/70857665fb993169b145a968223b587c124b2caf.jpeg)

During a break on **Day 2 of the Cardano Africa Tech Summit (12/02/2026) in Nairobi**, we had the opportunity to learn about **Cardano governance** directly from **Mike Hornan** , a member of Intersect’s constitutional committee. He then explained to us more about participation in Cardano governance, particularly through the roles of **DReps, SPOs, and the Constitutional Committee** , as well as the logic behind **Cardano’s decentralized governance model** , among other key concepts.

However, one question remained unanswered due to the limited time:

> Is Cardano governance truly fair when some DReps hold high influence while others remain at 0 % due to the small amount of ADA delegated to them? Doesn’t this suggest that large ADA holders disproportionately influence major decisions, while decentralization should be inclusive?

What follows is **my perspective based on publicly available data** from [tempo.vote/dreps](https://tempo.vote/dreps).  
“_If my understanding differs from reality, I welcome your clarifications and insights._” 🙏

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### Concentration of Influence

Cardano uses a **liquid democracy model** : DReps’ voting power is proportional to the ADA delegated to them.

Here are the current most influential DReps:

| DRep | ADA Delegated | Delegators | Influence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Yoroi Wallet | 695.12M ₳ | 18,555 | 11.91 % |
| YUTA | 458.21M ₳ | 1,473 | 7.85 % |
| EMURGO | 297.8M ₳ | 398 | 5.10 % |
| Blockdaemon | 286.44M ₳ | 89 | 4.91 % |
| Eternl DRep Committee | 247.47M ₳ | 9,178 | 4.24 % |

**These five DReps alone account for nearly 34 % of total voting influence power** , showing a significant concentration—even when some have relatively few delegators but large ADA holdings.

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### Small DReps: Minimal Influence

DReps with smaller delegated ADA and fewer delegators have extremely limited impact. For example:

| DRep | ADA Delegated | Delegators | Influence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| π Lanningham | 11.23M ₳ | 184 | 0.19 % |
| Holger | 11.19M ₳ | 200 | 0.19 % |
| Paul Ko | 11M ₳ | 80 | 0.19 % |
| STP | 10.99M ₳ | 16 | 0.19 % |
| Clean\_Eyes | 10.09M ₳ | 8 | 0.17 % |

**Combined, the 50+ least influential DReps represent only ~2 % of total voting power.**  
A concrete example: _Clean\_Eyes_ has only 8 delegators and 10.09M ₳, giving it **0.17 % influence** —nearly negligible compared to dominant DReps.

* * *

### Key Observations

1. **A minority holds a large portion of power**

2. **Small DReps remain almost unheard**

3. **Open questions for the community**

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These observations reflect **my personal interpretation of publicly available data** from [tempo.vote/dreps](https://tempo.vote/dreps), and while voting dynamics in Cardano can shift over time, additional technical context or perspectives may further refine this view. **I welcome all insights, clarifications, and alternative interpretations** to foster a constructive discussion toward a **more fair, inclusive, and genuinely participatory Cardano governance system**.

**Data Source:** [tempo.vote/dreps](https://tempo.vote/dreps)

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