Why my delegated voting power didn't show up on snapshot

15 October 2026

Your delegated voting power may not appear on Snapshot because the delegation was executed on the wrong network, because the delegate address doesn't match Snapshot's expected format, or because the delegation transaction hasn't been confirmed in a sufficient number of blocks. In most cases, the fix is straightforward once you identify which of these common causes applies.

Network Mismatch

Snapshot operates across multiple blockchain networks, but a delegation is only valid on the specific network where you executed the transaction. If you delegated tokens on Ethereum mainnet but your DAO uses Snapshot on Polygon or Arbitrum, your voting power will show as zero.

To check this: look at the Snapshot space's URL or settings page to confirm the network it uses. Then verify on a block explorer (like Etherscan for Ethereum) that your delegation transaction occurred on that same network. If they don't match, you need to delegate again on the correct chain.

Delegate Address Format

Snapshot expects delegate addresses to be in checksummed format - a specific capitalization pattern that Ethereum wallets and explorers use. If you entered your delegate's address in all lowercase or all uppercase, the delegation may not register.

You can verify this by checking the delegation record on your token's governance contract using a block explorer. If the explorer shows the delegation exists but Snapshot says it doesn't, the address format is the likely culprit. To fix it, revoke the existing delegation and re-delegate using the checksummed version of the delegate's address.

Transaction Not Finalized

Snapshot reads on-chain data after a certain number of block confirmations to prevent relying on reorged or unconfirmed transactions. If your delegation transaction was mined very recently, Snapshot may not have picked it up yet.

The typical wait time is 12-36 block confirmations, which on Ethereum is roughly 3-9 minutes. On faster chains like Polygon or BNB Chain, it's usually under a minute. If more than an hour has passed since the transaction confirmed, this is not the cause.

Delegation to a Contract Wallet

Some delegates use smart contract wallets (like a Gnosis Safe) rather than an externally owned account. Snapshot handles these differently depending on the space's configuration. A space that uses only EOA-based delegation may not recognize delegations to a contract address.

Check whether your delegate's address is a contract by searching it on a block explorer. If it is, ask the delegate if they have set up their Snapshot profile to accept delegations to a smart contract. Many DAOs require delegates to register their contract address separately through a Snapshot delegation registry.

Token transfer after delegation

When you delegate voting power, you are delegating the tokens you currently hold. If you later transfer those tokens away from your wallet - even temporarily - the delegation is effectively void for the transferred amount. Snapshot checks your balance at the time a vote is cast, not at the time you delegated.

To confirm: look at your Snapshot voting power during a specific proposal. If your token balance dropped between the delegation and the proposal snapshot block, your voting power will be lower than expected. The solution is to maintain the token balance in the delegating wallet through the proposal's snapshot block.

Delegation revoked or overwritten

A newer delegation transaction can cancel an older one. If you delegated to one address and later delegated to another - even unintentionally - the most recent delegation is the only one that counts. Some wallet interfaces or dApps may also trigger a delegation transaction without you realizing it.

Check your wallet's transaction history for any "delegate" function calls after your original delegation. If you find one, your voting power is now assigned to whichever address appears in that later transaction.

What to do next

1. Confirm the network matches between your delegation and the Snapshot space.
2. Verify the delegate address is in checksummed format.
3. Wait at least 10 minutes after the delegation transaction to let Snapshot update.
4. Check whether the delegate address is a smart contract.
5. Ensure your token balance hasn't changed since delegation.
6. Review your transaction history for any unintended re-delegations.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, visit the DAO's Discord or forum and ask for help. Provide your wallet address and the delegate address, and a community member or developer can check the exact on-chain state to identify the problem.

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