Quadratic Voting Calculator
Calculate costs and allocate credits strategically
Quick Calculator
| Votes | Cost | Marginal | Votes | Cost | Marginal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | +1 | 6 | 36 | +11 |
| 2 | 4 | +3 | 7 | 49 | +13 |
| 3 | 9 | +5 | 8 | 64 | +15 |
| 4 | 16 | +7 | 9 | 81 | +17 |
| 5 | 25 | +9 | 10 | 100 | +19 |
Cost Curve
Purple = Quadratic cost (votes²), Blue = Linear cost (1:1)
Multi-Proposal Credit Allocation
| Proposal | Votes | Cost | % of Credits |
|---|
Quadratic vs Linear: You vs Whale
| You | Whale | Whale Advantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Voting (1:1) | - | - | - |
| Quadratic Voting | - | - | - |
Real-World Example: DAO Budget Vote
You have 100 credits to vote on 4 budget proposals:
Total: 19 votes using 93 credits. Notice how splitting across 4 proposals gives more total votes than putting all 100 credits into one (which would give only 10 votes).
Quadratic Voting FAQ
Should I concentrate or spread my votes?
Math favors spreading. 100 credits on one issue = 10 votes. Same 100 credits split: 5 votes (25cr) + 5 votes (25cr) + 5 votes (25cr) + 5 votes (25cr) = 20 total votes across 4 issues. Concentrate only when you REALLY care about one issue and don't care about others.
What's the optimal allocation strategy?
Allocate proportional to how much you care. If issue A matters 3x more than issue B, spend 3x more credits on A. The quadratic cost ensures you can't dominate everything. Most people under-spread - you probably should vote on more issues with fewer votes each than your instinct suggests.
Can whales still dominate in QV?
Less than in linear voting, but yes. A whale with 100x your credits gets 10x your votes, not 100x. Still meaningful advantage, just reduced. The real vulnerability is Sybil attacks - splitting into many wallets to get linear scaling. That's why identity matters in QV systems.
Why does Gitcoin use quadratic funding not voting?
Quadratic funding optimizes for number of contributors, not amount. $1 from 100 people gets more matching than $100 from 1 person. It's QV logic applied to funding: many small supporters signal broader community desire better than few large donors. Same math, different application.
What if I regret my allocation mid-vote?
Depends on the system. Some allow reallocation until voting closes. Others lock in votes immediately. Snapshot-based systems typically let you change until the deadline. On-chain votes are usually final once submitted. Check the specific platform's rules before committing.
Fractional votes in quadratic voting?
Some systems allow it. √50 = 7.07 votes. Others round down to whole votes only. Fractional votes are more mathematically pure but harder to explain. Most implementations use whole votes for simplicity, meaning some credits may go unused if you can't hit exact squares.
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