# Special Council Elections March 2026 Cohort
**URL:** https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089
**Category:** General
**Created:** [February 17, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089 "2026-02-17T12:17:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@rocket](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/rocket)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/1 "2026-02-17T12:17:13Z")
**Special Council Elections March 2026 Cohort**
The March 2026 Special Council elections are approaching. Per the Horizen Constitution, three (3) seats in the March cohort are up for election.
**Election Timeline**
- Nominations open: Now
- Election begins: March 17, 2026 at 17:00 UTC
- Election ends: March 24, 2026 at 17:00 UTC (7 days)
What is the Special Council?
The Special Council is a seven member body elected by $ZEN tokenholders to oversee governance of the Horizen network.
Members serve one-year Standard Terms. The Council is split into two staggered cohorts the March cohort (3 seats) and the September cohort (4 seats) to ensure continuity of governance.
**Seats Available**
Three (3) seats are open for this election cycle.
Eligibility Requirements
Candidates should demonstrate:
- Experience in the web3 industry
- Background in community engagement and community safety
- An entrepreneurial mindset
- Excellent communication and writing skills
Constitutional Restrictions
- No more than two (2) Special Council members may be current employees of, owners of, or holders of a beneficial
interest in any common entity
- At all times, no fewer than five (5) of the seven Special Council members shall be non-US persons
- Candidates must not have conflicts of interest or affiliations with competitor blockchains
**How to Run**
If you’d like to put your name forward:
1. Reply to this thread expressing your interest
2. Create your own dedicated thread titled “Special Council Candidate [Your Name]” with the following details:
- A brief introduction and background
- Your experience in web3 and with Horizen
- What you would bring to the Special Council
- Your country of residence (to ensure compliance with the non-US requirement)
This gives the community a dedicated space to ask each candidate questions and discuss their candidacy.
**Voting**
Voting will take place via Snapshot and will be open to all $ZEN tokenholders during the 7-day election window
beginning March 15, 2026 at 17:00 UTC.
**Reference**
For the full governance framework, see the [Constitution | Horizen Documentation](https://docs.horizen.io/governance/overview/constitution/) .
Let’s build a strong council. If you’re passionate about Horizen’s future, now is the time to step up.
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### Author:  [@Manon](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/Manon)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2026, 2:38pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/2 "2026-02-17T14:38:53Z")
Hello Horizen fam. Here is my candidacy: [https://discordapp.com/channels/@me/516982409548267530/1473325064957984901](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/announcing-my-candidacy-for-march-2026-horizen-special-council-cohort-manon-boudoux/1090)
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### Author:  [@NhuelCryp](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/NhuelCryp)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/3 "2026-02-17T16:44:00Z")
Announced my candidacy, here; [Special Council Candidate (Nhuel)](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-candidate-nhuel/1091)
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### Author:  [@Psyrax](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/Psyrax)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/4 "2026-02-17T18:34:41Z")
Hey all, I have announced my candidacy [here](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-candidate-psyrax/1092)
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### Author:  [@PVM](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/PVM)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/5 "2026-02-19T23:49:42Z")
Reading now through your post! Amazing community work and commitment to Horizen!
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### Author:  [@gsfakianakis](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/gsfakianakis)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2026, 7:21pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/6 "2026-02-22T19:21:39Z")
Hello All, I have announced my candidancy [here](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-candidate-dr-george-georgios-sfakianakis/1094)
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### Author:  [@finpunk](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/finpunk)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2026, 2:37pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/7 "2026-02-23T14:37:52Z")
What an awesome group of candidates! I’m really impressed.
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### Author:  [@Bencharbit](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/Bencharbit)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/8 "2026-03-08T20:11:13Z")
Hey everyone 👋
Announcing my candidacy for re-election to the Special Council.
Full candidacy post here: [LINK](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-candidate-ben-charbit/1099)
TL;DR: I’ve served on the Council since its founding and helped shape governance through a pivotal year,including voting on ZenIP 42406 that drove the migration to Base. Since my last term, I’ve become CEO of Portal (under Animoca Brands), giving me a front-row seat to the intersection of privacy, compliance, and ecosystem growth.
My priorities for this term:
🔒 Oversee the HCCE launch, Horizen’s biggest differentiator
💰 Hold the 100M ZEN Thrive developer fund accountable with clear KPIs
⚖ Champion compliant privacy: bridging what regulators expect and what builders need
🌱 Actively grow Horizen’s presence in the Base ecosystem
🛡 Protect ZEN tokenholders with transparent governance through the transition
Happy to engage ahead. Feel free to reach out!
Ben
---
### Author:  [@Sodiomayor](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/Sodiomayor)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2026, 8:23am UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/9 "2026-03-14T08:23:48Z")
Hello everyone, after giving it a lot of thought, I decided to announce my candidacy for (re)election here.
[Special Council candidate: Sodiomayor](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-candidate-sodiomayor/1104)
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### Author:  [@rocket](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/rocket)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/10 "2026-03-17T18:07:57Z")
The vote is live, good luck to all participants. [Snapshot](https://snapshot.org/#/s:horizenfoundationnontechnical.eth/proposal/0xa7dc914a86c0b5261b6361457c2f1c03ebcb2d8fc0b918b6bc9d3b500c62c2d4)
---
### Author:  [@rocket](https://horizen.discourse.group/u/rocket)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://horizen.discourse.group/t/special-council-elections-march-2026-cohort/1089/11 "2026-03-25T19:38:55Z")
Special Council Election Results, March 2026 Cohort
The voting period for the March 2026 Special Council election has now closed. On behalf of the Horizen DAO, we want to thank every tokenholder who participated and made their voice heard.
The three candidates elected to the Special Council are:
JohnCarlo Maddalena – 87,300 votes (37.11%)
Ben Charbit – 67,400 votes (28.64%)
Domenico Sodiomayor – 55,200 votes (23.48%)
Congratulations to JohnCarlo, Ben, and Domenico. Their new terms begin immediately.
We also want to extend our sincere gratitude to Georgios Sfakianakis, Manon Boudoux, and Emmanuel Umoh for putting themselves forward as candidates. Their willingness to serve the community is appreciated and we hope to see them continue to engage with Horizen governance.
Full results are available on Snapshot.