🧑⚖️ Validator Board
Who sits on the Validator Board, how it votes on stake pool applications every month, and how approved validators can apply to join it.
The Validator Board decides which validators join The Vault's stake pool. Its members are validators from The Vault's own community, and every month they vote on the validators that applied (Figure 6.3).
Figure 6.3: What the Validator Board does
Who sits on the board
Board members are validators from The Vault's own community who serve on the board while their validators are in the stake pool. Staff are not involved in the review or the vote. Board members are exempt from Stake-as-a-Service fees.
What the board does
- Reviews and votes on every new application to the stake pool, once a month.
- Judges each application against the Approved list criteria, with ecosystem contributions weighing the most.
- Approves the validators that join the approved list, which opens the Direct Stake Leaders bucket and the Elite Performance bucket to them.
- Re-evaluates approved validators that stop meeting the requirements for staying approved, which can lead to their temporary removal.
- Gives feedback on unsuccessful applications, which applicants can ask for in a support ticket.
The monthly vote
The board reviews applications once a month, from the 1st to the 15th. An application submitted before the 1st is in that month's review; one submitted on or after the 1st waits for the next month. Results are announced in the Node News channel of The Vault Discord once voting closes on the 15th (Figure 6.4).
Figure 6.4: From application to result
If your application is not approved, ask for the board's feedback in a support ticket and apply again in a later month. Two unsuccessful applications in a row start a three-month pause. See Unsuccessful applications.
How the board decides
The board first checks that a validator meets the minimum requirements: uptime, delinquency, client and commission. Beyond that, ecosystem contributions weigh the most: what the team builds, runs or does for Solana, and how clearly the application shows it with evidence. Evaluations are qualitative, and direct stake or gauge votes don't affect the decision. For what helps, see Application best practices.
Apply to the stake pool
To apply, open a support ticket in The Vault Discord, choose Validator, and use the /apply command to get your application form. For the full steps, see Validator application process.
Join the board
Approved validators can apply to join the Validator Board (Figure 6.5).
Figure 6.5: How to join the board
Get approved
Your validator needs to be in The Vault's stake pool, on the approved list.
Open a support ticket
Open a support ticket in The Vault Discord and ask to apply for the Validator Board. The team tells you how to send your application.
Wait for a seat
New members are chosen from the applicants when a seat opens.