How to Vote on Neo’s Governance Portal

Participating in Neo governance is the primary way for NEO holders to secure the network and receive rewards. Unlike many other blockchains where staking is purely passive, Neo requires one to actively cast a vote for a Council member to qualify for the majority of GAS rewards.

This guide details voting via the official portal, covering the mechanics, the voting process, and how to maximize the GAS you receive.

Why Vote?

The Neo network is governed by a Neo Council consisting of 21 members. The top 7 of these are referred to as Consensus Nodes, and their primary function is to generate blocks.

Voting on the network is crucial for several fundamental reasons.

• Network security: A vote helps elect reliable nodes that maintain the blockchain’s uptime and security.
• GAS rewards: This is the primary financial incentive. 80% of all newly minted GAS is distributed specifically to voters. If one holds NEO but does not vote, they miss out on this massive portion of the rewards pool.
• 1 NEO = 1 Vote: One’s voting power is directly proportional to their NEO balance. You retain full custody of your NEO while voting. The tokens are never “locked” in the traditional sense, as is typical of most PoS networks, and remain liquid.

It is important to note that, as of early 2026, the Neo ecosystem is undergoing transitions. While the voting mechanism described below is currently active, one should be aware that proposals are in place to eventually shift rewards from “voting” to “staking.” Keep an eye on official Neo announcements for changes later in the year.

A Few Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

• NEO tokens held in a personal wallet rather than an exchange.
• A compatible wallet: the portal supports NeoLine (browser extension), O3 Wallet, One Gate, and Neon Wallet (via WalletConnect).
• A tiny fraction of GAS (e.g., 0.001 GAS) to pay for the initial voting transaction fee.

Step-by-Step Voting Guide

Step 1: Connect to the Portal

1. Go to the official governance site.

Open graph

The N3 governance website as of the time of writing

2. Click the Connect Wallet button in the top right corner.
3. Select your wallet provider. A pop-up from your wallet extension will ask you to approve the connection.

Step 2: Choose a Candidate

Once connected, you will see a list of candidates ranked by the number of votes they have.

• The Top 21 (Council): You must vote for a candidate in the Top 21 to earn the GAS voting rate.
  • Consensus Nodes (Rank 1-7): These are the most secure but often have the most votes. Because the reward pool is fixed per node, more votes dilute the reward among more people.
  • Council Members (Rank 8-21): These nodes tend to receive fewer votes, which, in turn, makes rewards higher as they are less diluted among many voters.

Open graph

Everstake on th3 N3 governance platform

Step 3: Cast Your Vote

1. Locate your chosen candidate in the list.
2. Click the Vote button next to their name. Your specific wallet address can only vote for one candidate at a time. If you vote for Candidate B, your previous vote for Candidate A will be automatically revoked.
3. Your wallet will prompt you to sign a transaction.
4. Confirm the transaction. This will cost a very small network fee (paid in GAS).

Step 4: Verify Your Vote

1. Wait a few seconds for the transaction to confirm on the blockchain.
2. Refresh the governance page.
3. You should see your voted candidate highlighted, or a dashboard section showing “My Vote” with your current candidate and estimated 24-hour rewards.

Claiming GAS

Once you have voted, your NEO starts generating GAS rewards immediately with every block (approximately every 15 seconds). You do not need to keep your computer on. The rewards accrue according to the blockchain’s logic.

In Neo N3, GAS is automatically claimed and added to your balance whenever you perform a transaction involving your NEO (e.g., sending NEO to yourself or voting for a different node).

Most wallets (like Neon or NeoLine) also have a Claim button. Clicking this simply sends a 0-value self-transaction to trigger the payout.

Conclusion

Voting on the Neo governance portal is a low-effort, high-reward activity for NEO holders. By taking five minutes to select a candidate, you significantly increase your GAS generation compared to non-voting holders.

While there are many candidates on the Neo governance portal, choosing a reliable node is critical for ensuring you receive consistent GAS rewards. Everstake remains a top-tier choice for NEO holders.

As a long-standing Neo Council Member, Everstake consistently ranks among the top-tier governance nodes. Everstake also utilizes enterprise-grade hardware with a 99.98% uptime record, ensuring the user’s GAS generation stream remains uninterrupted.

By voting for Everstake, you are supporting a team that actively contributes to the Neo ecosystem through educational guides, development support, and active governance participation.

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All metrics displayed on the website, including without limitations value of staked assets, total number of active users, rewards rates, and networks supported, are historical figures and may not represent the actual real-time data.