Aragon ZK Research and Aztec Collaborate on Private Voting Research for Nouns DAO
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Aragon ZK Research and Aztec have joined forces to conduct research on private voting for Nouns DAO over the past few months. The culmination of their efforts has resulted in a proof-of-concept and the release of both general and technical reports. Additionally, the teams have developed two time-locked cryptography protocols to support their work.
Funded by Nouns DAO, a pioneering social and cultural DAO known for pushing the boundaries of governance experimentation, the Nouns DAO Private Voting Research Sprint aimed to explore solutions for private voting within the organization. Among the three teams funded for the project, Aragon ZK Research and Aztec were tasked with completing their research within a three-month timeframe.
The primary question addressed during the research sprint was the feasibility of building a user-friendly, trustless, fair, weighted, and ballot-secret voting system on Ethereum. The teams’ answer to this question was a resounding yes, supported by the significant progress made in both research and development throughout the sprint.
The proof of concept developed by the teams allows for one vote per NFT, meaning that individuals with multiple NFTs must cast a ballot for each NFT separately. This demonstration showcases the potential for private voting within DAOs built on Aragon.
The importance of onchain private voting cannot be understated, as it addresses concerns related to transparency, security, and decentralization within DAOs. By offering fully encrypted private voting options on the blockchain, the teams have paved the way for a more secure and confidential decision-making process.
Moving forward, Aragon ZK Research plans to apply the learnings from this project to DAOs built on Aragon OSx, while Aztec will continue to enhance private voting through their contributions to Noir. The future looks bright for private voting technology, with the potential to revolutionize governance practices within the web3 industry.
For more information on the research conducted by Aragon ZK Research and Aztec, including documentation and repositories, interested readers are encouraged to explore the links provided in the article.
