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How to use Polkassembly to participate in Picasso governance

Picasso will be utilizing Polkassembly for on-chain governance participation. In this article, we outline what Polkassembly is, how to sign up with a Polkadot.js wallet, and how you can participate in governance by joining in on discussions or voting on proposals and referenda. Originally supporting governance participation and discussion on Polkadot and Kusama, Polkassembly has now extended its offering to include parachains within each ecosystem like Picasso. Now, Polkassembly functions as an open-source governance explorer which you can use to browse proposals and all of the latest referenda across DotSama.

How to create a Polkassembly account​

In order to interact with any network within DotSama, you need to create a Polkassembly account for each. Meaning if you have used Polkassembly in the past you will still need to complete these steps to link your Picasso wallet:

  1. Visit https://picasso.polkassembly.io/
  2. Click sign up in the top right corner

polkassembly_overview

  1. Click sign-up with Web3 address

polkassembly_sign_up

  1. Choose the account you would like to participate with and click sign-up

polkassembly_choose_account

  1. Once your account has been created you can sign in by clicking on the login button and entering your details.

  2. When signed in, you can view all of the latest discussions, proposals, referenda, and upcoming events on Picasso.

polkassembly_logged_in

Participating in governance​

Users can participate in governance on Picasso through voting on proposals and active referenda. A brief description of each will be provided below, along with the steps one can take to participate.

Proposals​

Any token holder has the ability to initiate a proposal by locking up a minimum deposit of 100 PICA. Other token holders can endorse or vote down on proposals by locking up a matching deposit. The proposal with the highest amount of bonded PICA will be passed as a referendum in the next voting cycle. To vote on a proposal on Polkassembly:

  1. View the list of active proposals by clicking the “Democracy” dropdown menu and clicking the “Proposals” tab
  2. Proposals will be marked as “Tabled” or “Proposed”, tabled proposals have already moved into the referenda queue but you can second proposals which are marked “Proposed”
  3. To second a proposal you will require a matching deposit to the original proposer *this deposit will be returned when the proposal is moved to public referendum
  4. When viewing the proposal that you wish to second, select the account you would like to vote with and click on “Second”
  5. Sign the transaction

Referenda​

When a proposal passes, there will be a 2 day enactment period followed by a 5 day voting period for the referenda. During this time users are free to vote on the referenda by following the steps below:

  1. In a similar vein you can view active referenda by clicking on the “Democracy” dropdown menu and selecting the “Referenda” tab
  2. There are several labels for referenda a. Started - the referendum was passed as a proposal and can now be voted on b. Passed - the referendum has passed but not yet been executed and can no longer be voted on c. Executed - the referendum has passed and already been executed d. NotPassed - the referendum failed to pass and can no longer be voted on
  3. Find a referendum with the “Started” label
  4. Enter the amount you’re willing to lock in the “Lock balance” field
  5. Enter the time you’re willing to lock for in the “Vote lock” field (read more on conviction voting here)
  6. Click on “Nay” or “Aye”
  7. Sign the transaction

Voting will become available to the community when sudo privileges are removed at the end of release 2. At this time we will release video guides on how to participate in on-chain governance using Polkassembly on Picasso. For now you can create your Polkassembly account and view proposals/referenda that are being voted on by the First Council. Read more about governance on Picasso by visiting our updated documentation.

Conclusion​

Overall, Polkassembly makes participating in governance much more accessible for a majority of users. As we aim to serve the community we hope that by integrating with Polkassembly we will make governance more accessible, ultimately leading to greater governance participation on Picasso. At the end of the day it is the community who will shape Picasso, and having an open forum where proposals and referenda can be discussed and voted on will provide a strong voice for the community.