Zcash block time vote passed with overwhelming support. Nearly 99% of ZEC holders voted to reduce block times to 25 seconds.
The vote also kept ZEC issuance and halving schedules unchanged. Results were published Monday.
Why the Zcash block time vote matters
Zcash token holders backed cutting the network’s target block time. Specifically, it drops from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. The faster-block proposal received 99.9% of the ZEC-weighted vote. Meanwhile, 98.9% supported keeping halvings.
Voting power reflected eligible ZEC holdings. Both percentages included abstentions. The shorter interval would reduce the expected wait for first confirmation. The amount of new ZEC issued per block would fall. This keeps scheduled daily issuance unchanged.
The changes are proposed for NU7, a Zcash network upgrade. Its activation date remains undetermined. Token holders also favored excluding features not implemented by September 30.
Coinholder vote separate from other polls
The coinholder vote was separate from other community polls. These included ZecHub and the Zcash Community Advisory Panel. Eligibility was limited to spendable ZEC in the Ironwood shielded pool. Developers plan to ship final items by the September 30 cut-off. Testnet and mainnet activation are not yet determined.
Halvings are scheduled cuts that reduce new ZEC issuance by half. The winning coinholder option preserves that schedule. It also allows funds removed under a separate proposal to return through future block rewards.
The advisory-panel results showed a closer split. Specifically, 57 members favored a gradual issuance curve. Meanwhile, 54 favored keeping halvings.
Zcash coinholders favor delaying reissuance
Another major feature considered for NU7 was the Network Sustainability Mechanism. This proposed upgrade aims to recycle transaction fees into a pool. It would reduce reliance on block rewards.
About 97% of token holders voted to delay NSM reissuance. The delay pushes it to February 2031. Specifically, 2.3 million ZEC tokens voted to delay. Only about 70,239 tokens voted to start immediately.
NSM was proposed in January. It responds to long-term security budget concerns. Declining block rewards may eventually fail to incentivize miners. The mechanism would burn and recycle 60% of transaction fees. It would not exceed the 21 million maximum supply.
ZEC price action
ZEC rose 3.8% in the past 24 hours. It extended a 132% rally over the past month. CoinMarketCap data confirms this.
