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Voting

Voting is the core governance mechanism in Orvex. veORVX holders vote on gauges to direct protocol emissions toward specific liquidity pools, and in return, earn a share of trading fees and external incentives (bribes) from the pools they support.

How Voting Works

The Basic Flow

  1. Lock ORVX → Receive veORVX (voting power)
  2. Cast votes → Direct your veORVX toward specific pool gauges
  3. Emissions flow → Pools you voted for receive oORVX emissions proportional to total votes
  4. Earn rewards → You receive trading fees and bribes from pools you voted for

The more veORVX you have, the more influence you wield over where emissions go — and the more rewards you earn.

Voting Power

Your voting power is determined by:

  • Amount of ORVX locked
  • Duration of lock

A 2-year lock gives you 1:1 voting power (1,000 ORVX = 1,000 veORVX). Shorter locks receive proportionally less voting power.

See Lock for full details on lock mechanics and voting power calculation.

What You Vote For

Votes are cast on gauges — each gauge corresponds to a specific liquidity pool (e.g., ORVX/USDC gauge, ETH/USDT gauge).

When you vote for a gauge:

  • That pool receives a share of weekly oORVX emissions proportional to its vote weight
  • You become eligible to earn rewards from that pool

See Gauges for detailed information on how gauges work and emissions distribution.

Voting Rewards

Voters earn three types of rewards:

1. Trading Fees

veORVX voters receive 100% of trading fees from the pools they vote for.

  • Fees are distributed proportionally among voters on that gauge
  • High-volume pools generate more fee revenue
  • Fees are claimable at the end of each epoch

2. External Incentives (Bribes)

Protocols can attach additional incentives to their gauges to attract votes.

  • Bribes are paid in various tokens (USDC, ETH, partner tokens, etc.)
  • Distributed proportionally to voters on that gauge
  • Creates a competitive marketplace for liquidity direction

3. Emissions Direction

By voting, you control where oORVX emissions flow.

  • Direct emissions toward pools where you're an LP (double rewards)
  • Support ecosystem-critical pools
  • Align emissions with ecosystem growth

Epoch-Based Voting

Voting operates on a 7-day epoch cycle:

  • Epoch Start: Thursday 00:00 UTC
  • Snapshot: veORVX balances are recorded at epoch start
  • Voting Deadline: Votes must be cast before the epoch starts
  • Rewards Accrue: During the week (Thursday-Wednesday)
  • Rewards Claimable: At epoch end

Important: If you vote after the Thursday snapshot, your vote applies to the next epoch, not the current one.

See Epochs Explained for full epoch timing details.

How to Vote

Direct Voting

Cast votes manually through the Orvex UI:

  1. Navigate to the Voting page
  2. View available gauges and their current votes/incentives
  3. Allocate your veORVX across one or more gauges
  4. Submit vote transaction before the next epoch snapshot
  5. Claim rewards at the end of the epoch

You can split your voting power across multiple gauges or concentrate it all on one pool.

Delegation

Delegate your voting power to another address to vote on your behalf:

  • Retain full ownership of your veORVX
  • The delegate votes for you each epoch
  • You still receive all voting rewards
  • Can change or revoke delegation at any time

See Lock - Delegation for delegation mechanics.

Voting Strategy

What to Consider

When deciding where to vote, consider:

Trading Fee Potential

  • High-volume pools generate more fees
  • Established pairs often have consistent volume
  • Check historical volume data

Bribe Offerings

  • Review which gauges have external incentives
  • Evaluate bribe value vs. pool sustainability
  • Consider whether bribes are one-time or recurring

Emissions Efficiency

  • Will additional emissions actually attract LPs?
  • Is the pool productive or just incentive-chasing?
  • Does the pool serve a real ecosystem need?

Personal LP Positions

  • Vote for gauges where you provide liquidity
  • Earn both voter rewards (fees + bribes) and LP rewards (oORVX emissions)
  • Maximize returns across both roles

Ecosystem Alignment

  • Support pools critical to Robinhood Chain growth
  • Vote for protocol partners and integrations
  • Consider long-term ecosystem value

Common Strategies

Conservative:

  • Focus on established, high-volume pairs
  • Prioritize consistent fee generation
  • Lower risk, predictable returns

Aggressive:

  • Chase high-bribe opportunities
  • Support new protocol launches
  • Higher potential returns, more active management

Balanced:

  • Split votes across stable and opportunity pools
  • 60-70% to core pairs, 30-40% to bribes
  • Moderate risk, diversified returns

Ecosystem-Focused:

  • Vote for pools that benefit Robinhood Chain broadly
  • Support partner protocols and integrations
  • Long-term value creation over short-term returns

Voting APR

The Orvex UI displays Voting APR for each gauge to help you evaluate opportunities.

Formula:

Voting APR = (Total Bribes / Total Votes) x 52 weeks / ORVX price x 100%

Interpretation:

  • Higher bribes with same votes → higher Voting APR
  • More votes on same bribes → lower Voting APR
  • This is a signal, not a guarantee — actual returns depend on final vote distribution

Common Voting Mistakes

Avoid these pitfalls:

  1. Voting After Snapshot — Your vote won't count until next epoch
  2. Not Voting at All — Locked ORVX without voting earns no trading fees or bribes
  3. Spreading Too Thin — Diluting voting power across many small pools
  4. Ignoring Trading Fees — Chasing bribes while missing high-fee pools
  5. No Strategy — Random voting without considering pool quality or sustainability

Account-Based Voting

Orvex uses an account-based voting model:

  • All veORVX power for an address is aggregated
  • Vote once per account, not per veNFT
  • Voting power is fixed for entire epoch (based on snapshot)
  • Changes only take effect at next epoch

This simplifies voting compared to per-NFT models and reduces manipulation risks.

See Account-Based Voting for technical details.

Vote Management

Updating Votes

  • Votes can be updated before each epoch snapshot
  • Changes apply to the upcoming epoch
  • Old votes don't carry forward automatically (check protocol implementation)

Claiming Rewards

  • Rewards become claimable at epoch end
  • Claim through the Orvex UI
  • Multiple epochs can be claimed at once
  • Unclaimed rewards don't expire but accumulate

Monitoring Performance

Track your voting performance:

  • Review fees earned per gauge
  • Compare bribe estimates vs. actual payouts
  • Analyze which pools generated the best returns
  • Adjust strategy for upcoming epochs

Key Takeaway

Voting is how veORVX holders:

  • Control liquidity by directing emissions
  • Earn revenue through fees and bribes
  • Shape the protocol by supporting strategic pools
  • Maximize returns by voting strategically

By participating in weekly voting, you become an active governor of Orvex's liquidity landscape and the broader Robinhood Chain ecosystem.