Ethereum Name Service (ENS) co-founder Nick Johnson is pushing back against community claims that he rigged a recent governance vote in his favor. The controversy stems from votes on renewing the ENS DAO’s Security Council, a 4-of-8 multisig body with limited powers to cancel malicious proposals in the DAO’s timelock.
Johnson told The Block that his participation followed standard process and reflected substantive concerns rather than manipulation.
"There were two Security Council votes — the Snapshot vote followed by the executable vote. I abstained on the SC vote with a message explaining that I supported SC renewal but not with the current slate of members. I voted against the executable vote because nothing was done to address those concerns," Johnson told The Block in a direct message.
The votes involved two stages, including an initial off-chain Snapshot vote followed by an onchain executable proposal. The measure sought to renew the Security Council for another two-year term ahead of its current authority expiring on July 24, 2026, as well as other changes.
The Snapshot vote passed, but the executable onchain vote has not, and currently stands at 82% "no," with Johnson's significant voting share. The vote is set to officially close on July 5 at 8:59 PM.
