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Starknet Foundation opens applications for governance delegates with 1.7B STRK voting power available
A new three-tier delegate system will distribute voting power across 180 participants, marking Starknet's biggest push toward decentralized governance.
The Starknet Foundation is handing out 1.7 billion STRK in voting power to a new class of governance delegates. There’s an application process, a tiered structure, and delegates who fail to meet participation standards risk having their voting power reallocated.
How the three-tier system works
Tier 1 allocates 700 million STRK, roughly 41% of the total pool, across 20 delegates. Each Tier 1 delegate receives 35 million STRK in voting power. Previous delegate groups like the Builders’ Council will transition into this tier.
Tier 2 distributes 600 million STRK (about 35.5%) among 60 delegates at 10 million STRK each.
Tier 3 rounds things out with 400 million STRK (23.5%) split across 100 delegates, each receiving 4 million STRK in voting power.
Add it all up and you get 180 total delegate seats.
The accountability mechanism
The Foundation has built in an ongoing review process that evaluates delegates on their actual participation. That includes voting on proposals, engaging in forum discussions, and making meaningful contributions to the community. If delegates fail to meet these standards, their voting power can be reallocated.
The application process opened around June 5, 2025, and is accepting submissions from both individuals and teams. The Foundation is conducting reviews on a rolling basis rather than setting a single deadline.
From Builders’ Council to broad delegation
Starknet’s governance has gone through several phases. The network initially relied on a Builders’ Council, a smaller, more centralized group of participants making decisions about protocol upgrades and ecosystem direction. The new delegate system creates 180 delegate positions across three tiers, with the Tier 1 allocation for existing Builders’ Council members ensuring institutional knowledge isn’t lost in the transition.
The governance initiative was announced in a community forum post in March 2025, followed by an application thread in June 2025.
What this means for investors
The 1.7 billion STRK being distributed as voting power doesn’t represent new token emissions or selling pressure in the traditional sense. This is delegated voting authority, not liquid tokens being dumped on the market.