Going deep on Snapshots

What is a MetaPoll Snapshot?

A snapshot in MetaPoll packages complete consensus state accompanied with cryptographic proofs and metadata that verify its integrity. Each snapshot creates a permanent, trustless record that persists even if the MetaPoll service itself disappears.

Like a Git commit that captures not only the code but also who changed what and when—except here we're capturing community preferences with mathematical proofs of their authenticity.

The Anatomy of a Snapshot

Every snapshot contains a precise set of data fields that together form a complete record:

Core Identifiers

Poll ID: The unique identifier linking this snapshot to its parent MetaPoll.

Poll Version (V1, V2, V3...): Tracks the poll's evolution. When a poll owner modifies options, voting tokens, or other parameters, the version increments. This creates an audit trail of changes—crucial for detecting whether results might have been influenced by structural modifications.

Snapshot ID: The globally unique identifier for this specific snapshot.

Snapshot Sequence (#1, #2, #3...): A human-readable counter starting from #1 at the first snapshot of each MetaPoll. While not globally unique, when combined with the Poll ID, it provides an intuitive reference system.

The Voting Computation

Aggregated Voter Signal:

1. Collects all active ballots (which may contain ranked and/or unranked options)

2. Verifies each ballot's cryptographic signature against the voter's address (preventing forgery)

3. Looks up each voter's token balance

4. Applies the voting decay rate to calculate actual voting power

5. Constructs individual "voter signal" by applying voting power to signed preferences

6. Aggregates all voter signals into a final ranked result

A voter signal remains active until:

• Their token balance changes

• A new decay cycle completes

• They submit a new ballot

This creates a living, breathing representation of community preference that updates automatically as conditions change.

Temporal and Configuration Data

Snapshot Timestamp: Recorded in UTC format (e.g., 2025-06-30 03:12:58), providing precise temporal anchoring.

Voting Decay Cycle: The number of days in the decay cycle at snapshot time. Essential for understanding why certain voters might have reduced voting power.

Visibility: Public (viewable by anyone) or private (encrypted, viewable only by authorized users).

Active Votes Count: The total voting power exercised in this snapshot, stored as a non-negative number with up to 6 decimal places. (This metric is more sybil-resistant than counting addresses, as it reflects a controlled distribution of tokens rather than mere address based participation.)

Ownership and Verification

MetaPoll Owner Address: Either a crypto address (e.g., 0x79a295a44dD4649B77901c5d334fd50d9808393D) or email format. Note that ownership is transferable—the creator and current owner may differ.

VCIP (Voter Compute Integrity Proof): A zk-SNARK proof answering: "Was the snapshot computation performed correctly?" Returns True or False.

VDIP (Voter Data Inclusion Proof): A Verkle tree multi-proof allowing individual voters to verify their vote's inclusion without accessing others' data. Answers: "Was my vote included?" Returns True or False.

Chain Linkage

Permastorage Location: A link to the snapshot's location on permanent storage (typically Arweave). Private polls encrypt this data with keys distributed only to authorized viewers.

Previous Snapshot Hash: The cryptographic hash of the preceding snapshot in this poll's sequence, creating an unbroken chain of records.

Snapshot Hash: The hash of all data in the current snapshot, which will be referenced by the next snapshot in the sequence.

Temporal Dynamics: Bringing Polls to Life

Snapshot Cadence

The snapshot cadence defines the heartbeat of a MetaPoll—how frequently the system captures the current state. A 1-day cadence creates daily snapshots; a 7-day cadence creates weekly ones.

These snapshots are like frames in a movie: individually static, but collectively revealing the evolution of community preference.

Continuous Democracy Without Continuous Voting

Here's where MetaPoll's design philosophy shines. Traditional voting systems demand repeated participation for each decision. MetaPoll decouples voting from results through such design that:

1. Ranked, nested option trees: Allow nuanced preferences across multiple dimensions, mapping out rich decision spaces

2. Long-term parameter orientation: Focusing on reusable options rather than ephemeral choices

3. 400-day vote persistence: Voter Signals remain at full power for over a year, decaying by half every 400 additional days until after 2,000 days the voter signal is deactivated

This means a voter can express their preferences once and have them continuously counted across hundreds of snapshots, reducing voter fatigue while maintaining democratic legitimacy.

Visual example of the continuous result generation of MetaPoll

Time-Averaged Consensus

Multiple snapshots unlock powerful analytical capabilities:

Averaging Over Time: By combining snapshots from any time period, we can determine what a community thought over 3 months, 5 years, or any interval with sufficient data. This creates "meta-snapshots" representing longer-term consensus.

Strategic Planning: Organizations can observe 5 or 10-year preference trends, enabling long-term planning that responds to genuine shifts in stakeholder values rather than temporary fluctuations.

Option Delta Analysis: Like IMDB showing "up 38 positions from last month," MetaPoll can calculate the rank change (delta) of any option between any two points. This reveals:

• Which preferences are most volatile

• Which represent stable community values

• Where strategic flexibility or long-term commitment is most appropriate

A Blockchain of Preference

MetaPoll snapshots create something new: a sudo type of blockchain where each block (snapshot) represents not a transaction, but a moment of collective preference. Each MetaPoll becomes its own chain of democratic expression, with properties that traditional voting lacks:

• Trustless: Cryptographic proofs ensure integrity without central authority

• Private: Individual votes remain confidential while results are verifiable

• Immutable: Once stored on Arweave, history cannot be rewritten

• Verifiable: Anyone can audit the data and verify their participation

The snapshots form an unbreakable chain, with each linking to its predecessor through cryptographic hashes. Stored on Arweave's permanent web, they create an immutable, verifiable history of how preferences evolved—transforming voting from discrete events into a continuous, living process of collective decision-making.

MetaPoll snapshots create a permanent, trustless record of collective intelligence and human coordination at scale.