Definition
Quadratic Voting is a collective decision-making process in which participants allocate voting power to options by spending a budget of voting credits, with the cost of each additional vote on the same option increasing quadratically. This mechanism mathematically encodes preference intensity, so that concentrating many votes on a single outcome becomes progressively more expensive than spreading votes across multiple outcomes.
In Simple Terms
Quadratic Voting is a way of making group decisions where people get a fixed amount of voting credits and must spend more and more credits for each extra vote on the same choice. Because the cost rises quickly, it becomes harder to dominate a decision by piling up votes on one option.
Context and Usage
Quadratic Voting is discussed in blockchain governance design, particularly for systems seeking to represent both the number of participants and the strength of their preferences. It appears in debates about on-chain and off-chain governance structures, voting power allocation, and mechanisms intended to reduce dominance by large holders while remaining compatible with token-based or identity-based voting schemes.