Please refer to the updated Code of Conduct 30

Delegate Code of Conduct

Scope: This code of conduct applies to active delegates of the OP Token House. This code of conduct applies within all community spaces and when an individual is representing the community in public, either online or offline.

The Rules of Engagement specifically pertaining to the Forum can be found here.

This Code of Conduct will go into effect at the start of Special Voting Cycle #9a.

The delegate code of conduct will not cover all possible scenarios and edge cases. We ask that delegates please act in accordance with the spirit of the code of conduct and refrain from exploiting loopholes that may exist.

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Inclusivity

• There will be no tolerance for discrimination against any person based on geographical, ethnic, sexual, religious, or other identifying features.
• Delegates should be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences and show empathy towards community members.
• Pertinent delegate communications should be transparent and public. Communication in public is favored over DMs/private communication, whenever possible.

Extreme Civility

• Delegates should provide constructive feedback supported by high quality and well researched arguments. Delegates must not personally attack the opinions or personal merits of proposal authors or any other party engaging in governance activity. Delegates must not make unsubstantiated claims to advocate for or against any proposal or proposal author.

• Delegates must always act in a professional manner. The following behaviors are unacceptable and will not be tolerated:

  • Public or private harassment
  • The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances
  • Intentionally publishing others’ private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission

• Delegates should actively discourage others breaking this code of conduct. Delegates should report serious or repeat offenses, as outlined below.

• Delegates must abide by the Rules of Engagement when communicating on the Forum.

Good Faith and Best Interest

• Delegates must act with honesty, integrity, and transparency, at all times.
• Delegates should operate in a way and vote in accordance with what they believe is in the best interests of the Optimism Collective.

Due Care and Attention

• Delegates should maintain a working knowledge of developments at Optimism and in the wider cryptocurrency space.
• Delegates should make a professional and unbiased review of each proposal prior to voting. Delegates that are unable to review proposals should abstain from voting.
• Delegates are encouraged to maximize their voting participation rate, to the best of their ability.
• Delegates are encouraged to shape the development of Optimism’s governance structure by providing feedback during Reflection Periods.

Accountability

• Delegates must uphold all delegate commitments.

• Delegates that serve on the Grants Council must uphold the responsibilities outlined in the approved Grants Council proposal

No Self-Dealing

• Delegates must avoid conflicts of interest where possible and mitigate their impact when not possible. We recommend over-communicating and disclosing potential conflicts of interest even when they do not warrant abstaining from a vote.

  • Any actual or reasonably anticipated conflicts of interest must be disclosed in writing and prominently displayed ahead of any voting (ie. when submitting delegate commitments, when running for an elected position, when making public recommendations, etc.).

  • Any offer for external compensation related to delegation or the Optimism Protocol must be promptly disclosed.

  • Delegates are prohibited from approving and voting on their own proposals. Delegates may not vote for their own candidacy in an election. In the case of approval/ranked choice votes, delegates may vote for themselves, so long as they also cast votes for the remaining elected positions.

    Example: I can vote for my own candidacy on the Growth Experiments committee, so long as I also cast 4 additional votes (a total of 5 votes, as there are 5 open positions on the sub-committee.)

Additionally, protocols participating in the Protocol Delegation Program must:

• Abstain from using voting power delegated via the Protocol Delegation Program on any proposals that involve a direct competitor
• Abstain from providing voting recommendations to the general public, separate from any representative’s participation on the Grants Council

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Reporting

All delegates are expected to abide by this code of conduct. Any delegate that is found to be in breach of this code of conduct, will be subject to the below enforcement procedures.

• Individuals who wish to report a breach should do so using this reporting form 16.
• The Foundation will review the submissions. The identity of a submission author will not be publicly disclosed by the Foundation without the author’s consent.
• Submission authors and/or the delegates in question may be contacted by the Foundation for additional information, if necessary.
• In future Seasons, the Foundation expects to reduce its role in this process.

Enforcement

There are a variety of possible enforcement actions, depending on the severity of the offense:

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Attribution

• Maker’s Recognized Delegate Code of Conduct 9
• Friends with Benefit’s Code of Conduct 6
• Python’s Discord Code of Conduct 4
• Gitcoin’s Code of Conduct 6
• Radicle’s Code of Conduct 4