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As discussions intensify within the Solana 
$142 community regarding the network’s future inflation rates, Galaxy Research has proposed an intriguing new system. Following the rejection of a previous proposal known as SIMD-228, the new system aims to transcend traditional yes/no voting methods. Named “Multiple Election Stake-Weight Aggregation (MESA),” this proposal seeks to reflect community opinions more comprehensively and transparently. According to Galaxy Research, rather than striving for consensus on a single proposal, it is more efficient to gauge community preferences and arrive at an average decision. The goal of this new system is to alleviate pressure on SOL coin supply and ease internal community divisions.
Moving Beyond Traditional Voting Approaches
The MESA system enables validators to cast weighted votes on a range of options instead of simply saying “yes” or “no.” In this system, participants can vote by indicating their preferred inflation rates, with the final decision shaped by the weighted average of these rates.
Galaxy Research explained that the failure of the SIMD-228 vote stemmed from the community’s desire for change not being clearly reflected by the existing system. SIMD-228 proposed dynamically adjusting coin supply based on staking participation, offering a deflationary model. However, despite high participation, the proposal was rejected due to polarized opinions within the community.
MESA proposes to maintain the annual inflation decrease of 15% applied in every epoch under the current system. Currently, Solana’s inflation rate stands at 4.6%, with 64.7% of the total supply staked. This situation indicates the need for participants to engage more actively and consciously in the process.
Critiques of MESA and Noteworthy Alternative Proposals
One of the first responses to Galaxy Research’s proposal came from Max Resnick, Chief Economist at Solana-focused development firm Anza. Resnick argued that MESA’s technical complexity might confuse participants regarding how to vote. According to him, individuals often tend to vote at extremes to achieve their preferred outcome, which can disrupt the balance of the system.
Resnick still believes that SIMD-228’s dynamic, market-based supply model is safer and more cost-efficient. However, he acknowledges that allowing the community to vote through broader options could reduce polarization. He pointed out that traditional yes/no systems often divide people into opposing camps and shift the focus to “winning.”
Anatoly Yakovenko, a co-founder of Solana Labs, proposed a different solution. He suggested using the stake-weighted median instead of the weighted average, which could yield more representative results while reducing the risk of skewing towards the average. Yakovenko’s approach has received community support for its technical simplicity and potential to reduce confusion.
