What Is Vote Account in Solana?
A vote account is an on-chain account that records a validator’s votes on blocks. It stores the validator’s recent vote history, commission rate, and earned vote credits. Stake accounts delegate to a validator by referencing its vote account.
Vote account fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Node pubkey | The validator’s identity key |
| Authorized voter | The key authorized to submit votes |
| Authorized withdrawer | The key authorized to withdraw from the vote account |
| Commission | Percentage of staking rewards the validator keeps (0–100%) |
| Root slot | The most recent finalized slot |
| Vote history | Recent votes (up to 32 entries) |
| Epoch credits | Vote credits earned per epoch |
Commission
Commission is the percentage of staking rewards that the validator retains before distributing the remainder to delegators. A validator with 5% commission keeps 5% of the total rewards earned by their delegated stake. Commission changes take effect at the start of the next epoch.
Vote credits
Validators earn one vote credit for each successful vote on a block. Credits determine reward distribution — more credits mean more rewards. Credits are tracked per epoch and used to calculate the validator’s share of the inflation reward pool.
FAQ
How do I find a validator’s vote account? Use getVoteAccounts to list all active and delinquent vote accounts with their stake, commission, and recent credits.
What does “delinquent” mean? A validator is delinquent when it has not voted recently (typically behind by more than 128 slots). Delinquent validators do not earn rewards.
Can a validator change its commission? Yes. The authorized withdrawer can update the commission rate.
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