# MIP24: Emergency Voting System

## Preamble

```
MIP#: 24
Title: Emergency Response
Author(s): @Davidutro, @jtathmann 
Contributors:
Tags: general, governance, emergency
Type: General
Status: Accepted
Date Proposed: 2020-09-07
Date Ratified: 2020-11-24
Dependencies:
Replaces: MIP5
Ratification Poll URL: https://vote.makerdao.com/executive/template-executive-vote-approve-november-2020-governance-cycle-bundle-november-23-2020?network=mainnet#proposal-detail
Forum URL: https://forum.makerdao.com/t/mip24-emergency-voting-system-replaces-mip-5/4009
Extra: This MIP has been amended. See [MIP4c2-SP11](https://mips.makerdao.com/mips/details/MIP4c2SP11), and [MIP102c2-SP1](https://mips.makerdao.com/mips/details/MIP102c2SP1). The original version can be found [here](https://github.com/makerdao/mips/blob/d83fec9ddc9623a6f58ad5131e819ff46bd31695/MIP24/mip24.md).
```

## References

[MIP5: Emergency Voting System](https://github.com/makerdao/mips/blob/Accepted/MIP5/mip5.md)
[Forum Thread: Emergency / Urgent Governance Process](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/emergency-urgent-governance-process/3926)
[Forum Thread: Covid Crash: Emergency Governance Summary](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/covid-crash-emergency-governance-summary/2437)

## Sentence Summary

MIP24 defines emergency and urgent situations for the Maker protocol, as well as the process for handling them.

## Paragraph Summary

This proposal defines an emergency voting system. Emergency votes are executive votes that can be initiated by any community member. This MIP aims to provide a general guide that can be applied to a wide range of urgent situations. Additionally, this MIP will differentiate between an emergency and an urgent situation, and provide processes which can be carried out to deal with either consistently.

## Component Summary

**MIP24c1: Situation Definitions**
Defines the terms "urgent" and "emergency" for purposes of an expedited governance change.

**MIP24c2: Considerations of Expedited Protocol Changes**
Outlines the various considerations that should be made before enacting expedited changes.

**MIP24c3: Emergency Response Procedure**
A general procedure for managing emergency situations.

**MIP24c4: Role of Arbitration and Ecosystem Facilitators**
Outlines the tasks of the Arbitration and Ecosystem Facilitators during emergency interventions.

## Motivation

The protocol has often required changes outside of the standard weekly and monthly governance cycles to help maintain the peg or to respond to changes in the ecosystem. The goal of this MIP is to provide a consistent process to manage emergencies and urgent issues.

## Specification / Proposal Details

### MIP24c1: Situation Definitions

The procedure for managing expedited changes to the protocol will depend on whether a situation is classified as an emergency or urgent.

**Emergency:** Any situation that would require immediate intervention to prevent initiation of Emergency Shutdown, severe peg divergence, or harm to members and users of the ecosystem.

**Urgent:** Any situation that includes a time-sensitive matter that would need an expedited governance process, where following a standard governance cycle would be too slow, risk a larger problem, or constitute an important missed opportunity.

### MIP24c2: Considerations of Expedited Protocol Changes

There are several important factors to consider before expediting changes to the protocol.

- Potential for MKR holders to miss a poll or executive vote due to departure from the standard governance cycles.
- Expedited votes may not allow for sufficient discussion, leading to a sub-optimal solution.
- Increased governance burden on community and increased workload for domain teams.
- Frequent expedited votes may signal a lack of appreciation for a consistent and predictable governance process.

### MIP24c3: Emergency Response Procedure

The ability to declare an emergency will be reserved for Facilitators due to their proximity to, and knowledge of, the Maker Protocol and surrounding ecosystem. If a community member wishes to declare an emergency, they will follow the urgent response procedure outlined in MIP24c4. If an Arbitration or Ecosystem Facilitator agrees that the status of the urgent situation should be escalated to "emergency," they will do so.

**The emergency response process will be initiated as follows:**

Declare an emergency in the public forum providing sufficient detail regarding the issue and why immediate action is required. If time does not permit, a forum post will be created immediately after or in parallel to taking emergency action. Creating a signal request thread or governance poll is optional.

- If a remedy is known and uncontentious the Arbitration or Ecosystem Facilitators will coordinate with necessary Ecosystem Actors to expedite an executive vote.
- If a remedy is not known or is contentious the Arbitration or Ecosystem Facilitators will coordinate an emergency governance call to discuss solutions and a plan for subsequent actions, explicitly inviting known stakeholders.

### MIP24c4: Role of Arbitration or Ecosystem Facilitators

Arbitration or Ecosystem Facilitators will oversee emergency and urgent situation processes to ensure they are carried out in a civil and consistent manner. They will be responsible for confirming poll outcomes and identifying whether the community or external actors have attempted to abuse or game the emergency voting system, and may block a request for emergency action at their discretion.