Round 2 / GovXS – Evaluating Retro Funding Voting Designs

This project is important for the Filecoin ecosystem, particularly for community members, contributors, and decision-makers involved in the RetroPGF program. It’s also valuable to the broader crypto community, academic researchers, and public goods funding advocates who seek fair, transparent, and reliable governance models.

GovXS’s research has uncovered major flaws in the voting systems used in Filecoin RetroPGF Round 1 and similar Retro Funding programs. The commonly used Quadratic Voting, Mean Rule, Quorum Median, and Capped Median designs are not strategy-proof, meaning voters can improve their outcome by misrepresenting their preferences.

Our solution addresses three key issues in Retro Funding:

1. Ensuring project participation by providing a fair evaluation and compensation system, attracting top projects.
2. Encouraging voter participation by enforcing a voter code of conduct, preventing wasted time on a flawed system.
3. Upholding Retro Funding’s legitimacy by ensuring fair, trustworthy votes are cast.

The tangible benefits of this contribution:

1. Fairer Funding Allocations: GovXS improves RetroPGF voting designs, making fund distributions more aligned with true project impact.
2. Increased Trust and Participation: By ensuring strategyproofness, our work fosters greater community trust, encouraging broader and more authentic participation in governance.