Analysis of Vote Buying Services

Arbitrum Research & Development Committee (ARDC) Research Member
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As one of the Research Members of the ARDCV2 we were asked to take a deep dive into vote-buying and other incentive-driven governance mechanisms that are beginning to shape decision-making in the Arbitrum ecosystem.

Our research was three-fold:

  1. Map the landscape – catalogue the leading vote-buying and delegation platforms (e.g., LobbyFi, Event Horizon, MetaDAO, Butter, Hidden Hand) and explain how each one works.
  2. Assess the risks and incentives – quantify how much influence can be bought, identify manipulation vectors, analyse real-world case studies (OAT election, Rari/Tribe, Aave/CRV), and measure decentralisation using Voting-Bloc Entropy.
  3. Deliver actionable recommendations – lay out Passive, Active, and Interventionist options the DAO can adopt, from simple transparency nudges to treasury-delegation programmes or emergency response playbooks.

We have documented the full research in a Google Doc. The breakdown is as follows:

  • Executive Summary – key findings at a glance
  • Introduction – overview of vote buying and why it matters
  • Platform Landscape – LobbyFi, Event Horizon, MetaDAO, Butter, Hidden Hand
  • Risks, Incentives & Governance Impact
    • Attack & manipulation vectors
    • Altruistic use-cases
    • Pricing analysis & swing-vote scenarios
  • Decentralisation & Decision Quality – Voting-Bloc Entropy analysis
  • Case Study: OAT Election – how a 10 % bloc could (or couldn’t) swing results
  • Recommendations
    • Passive approach
    • Active approach
    • Interventionist approach
  • Appendix / Sources – data tables, methodology, conceptual foundations

Whether you’re a delegate, builder, or ARB holder, we hope this report equips you with the context and options needed to keep Arbitrum governance resilient as incentive markets evolve.

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