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Overview

Vote accounts are specialized accounts used by validators to vote on blocks and earn rewards. Each validator requires a vote account to participate in consensus. Vote accounts:
  • Track validator votes on blocks
  • Accumulate voting credits that determine rewards
  • Store validator commission rates
  • Hold validator identity and authorization keys
  • Accumulate rewards that can be withdrawn
Vote accounts are critical infrastructure for validators. Improper management can result in lost rewards or validator downtime.

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Prerequisites

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Create a Vote Account

Creating a vote account requires:
  • Vote account keypair (the account itself)
  • Validator identity keypair (links vote account to validator)
  • Authorized withdrawer (can withdraw accumulated rewards)
1

Generate vote account keypair

solana-keygen new -o vote-account.json
2

Create vote account

solana create-vote-account vote-account.json identity-keypair.json authorized-withdrawer-pubkey
Full example with all parameters:
solana create-vote-account vote-account.json ~/validator-keypair.json \
    ~/withdrawer-keypair.json \
    --commission 10 \
    --authorized-voter ~/validator-keypair.json \
    --fee-payer ~/fee-payer.json
3

Verify creation

Check the vote account:
solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>
Output:
Account Balance: 0.02685864 SOL
Validator Identity: GKvqsuNcnwWqPzzuhLmGi4rzzh55FhJtGizkhHaEJqiV
Authorized Voter: GKvqsuNcnwWqPzzuhLmGi4rzzh55FhJtGizkhHaEJqiV
Authorized Withdrawer: EXU95vqs93yPeCeAU7mPPu6HbRUmTFPEiGug9oCdvQ5F
Commission: 10%
Epoch Credits: 147462
Last Vote: 98765432
Root Slot: 98765000

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Commission Configuration

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Legacy VoteInit (v1)

For VoteInit v1, set commission as a percentage (0-100): 
solana create-vote-account vote-account.json identity.json withdrawer.json \
    --commission 10
Commission defaults to 100% if not specified.
The --commission flag is only valid for VoteInit v1 and cannot be used with --use-v2-instruction.

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VoteInitV2 (SIMD-0464)

For VoteInitV2, configure separate commission rates for inflation rewards and block revenue: 
solana create-vote-account vote-account.json identity.json withdrawer.json \
    --use-v2-instruction \
    --inflation-rewards-commission-bps 1000 \
    --inflation-rewards-collector collector-pubkey \
    --block-revenue-commission-bps 500 \
    --block-revenue-collector collector-pubkey
Parameters:
  • --inflation-rewards-commission-bps - Commission in basis points (0-10000), where 100 bps = 1% [default: 10000 (100%)]
  • --inflation-rewards-collector - Account to collect inflation commission [default: vote account]
  • --block-revenue-commission-bps - Block revenue commission in basis points [default: 10000 (100%)]
  • --block-revenue-collector - Account to collect block revenue [default: identity account]
After SIMD-0464 feature activation, the CLI auto-detects which instruction version to use. Use --use-v2-instruction to force VoteInitV2 or when signing offline transactions.

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Authorities

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Authorized Voter

The authorized voter signs votes on behalf of the validator. Defaults to the validator identity pubkey if not specified: 
solana create-vote-account vote-account.json identity.json withdrawer.json \
    --authorized-voter voter-pubkey

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Authorized Withdrawer

The authorized withdrawer can withdraw accumulated rewards and update certain vote account parameters: 
solana create-vote-account vote-account.json identity.json withdrawer.json
Never set the authorized withdrawer to the same address as the validator identity or vote account unless using --allow-unsafe-authorized-withdrawer. This is unsafe and should be avoided.
Override safety check: 
solana create-vote-account vote-account.json identity.json identity.json \
    --allow-unsafe-authorized-withdrawer

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Derived Address

Create vote account at a derived address: 
solana create-vote-account vote-account.json identity.json withdrawer.json \
    --seed "validator-1"
The resulting account address will be derived from the vote account pubkey and seed.

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Update Vote Account Authority

Vote accounts have two authorities that can be updated: authorized voter and authorized withdrawer.

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Update Authorized Voter

Change the authorized voter (keypair that signs votes): 
solana vote-authorize-voter <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <AUTHORIZED_KEYPAIR> <NEW_AUTHORIZED_PUBKEY>
Example: 
solana vote-authorize-voter 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    ~/current-voter.json \
    8nP3jDvPwhTzv8VpE4pRi8pJGhhtC5T9kB8aU9Ltzfsg

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Update Authorized Withdrawer

Change the authorized withdrawer: 
solana vote-authorize-withdrawer <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <AUTHORIZED_KEYPAIR> <NEW_AUTHORIZED_PUBKEY>
Example: 
solana vote-authorize-withdrawer 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    ~/current-withdrawer.json \
    EXU95vqs93yPeCeAU7mPPu6HbRUmTFPEiGug9oCdvQ5F

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Checked Authorization (Safer)

Use “checked” versions that require the new authority to sign, preventing typos:

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Update Voter (Checked)

solana vote-authorize-voter-checked <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <AUTHORIZED_KEYPAIR> <NEW_AUTHORIZED_KEYPAIR>
Example: 
solana vote-authorize-voter-checked 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    ~/current-voter.json \
    ~/new-voter.json
For BLS key derivation (SIMD-0387), force v2 instruction: 
solana vote-authorize-voter-checked vote-account current-voter.json new-voter.json \
    --use-v2-instruction

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Update Withdrawer (Checked)

solana vote-authorize-withdrawer-checked <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <AUTHORIZED_KEYPAIR> <NEW_AUTHORIZED_KEYPAIR>
Example: 
solana vote-authorize-withdrawer-checked 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    ~/current-withdrawer.json \
    ~/new-withdrawer.json

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Update Validator Identity

Change the validator identity associated with a vote account: 
solana vote-update-validator <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <NEW_IDENTITY_KEYPAIR> <AUTHORIZED_WITHDRAWER_KEYPAIR>
Example: 
solana vote-update-validator 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    ~/new-validator-identity.json \
    ~/withdrawer.json
Changing validator identity is a critical operation. Ensure the new identity keypair is correct and backed up before proceeding.

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Update Commission

Change the vote account commission rate: 
solana vote-update-commission <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <NEW_COMMISSION> <AUTHORIZED_WITHDRAWER_KEYPAIR>
Example (set commission to 5%): 
solana vote-update-commission 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    5 \
    ~/withdrawer.json
Commission range: 0-100 (percentage)
Commission changes take effect at the beginning of the next epoch.

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Withdraw from Vote Account

Withdraw accumulated rewards from a vote account: 
solana withdraw-from-vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <RECIPIENT_ADDRESS> <AMOUNT> \
    --authorized-withdrawer <KEYPAIR>
Example: 
solana withdraw-from-vote-account 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    EXU95vqs93yPeCeAU7mPPu6HbRUmTFPEiGug9oCdvQ5F \
    10.5 \
    --authorized-withdrawer ~/withdrawer.json
This withdraws 10.5 SOL to the recipient address.

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Withdraw All

Withdraw all available funds: 
solana withdraw-from-vote-account vote-account recipient ALL \
    --authorized-withdrawer withdrawer.json
Vote accounts must maintain a rent-exempt balance. The maximum withdrawal is account balance minus rent-exempt minimum.

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Query Vote Account Information

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View Vote Account Details

solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>
Detailed output: 
Account Balance: 2.50685864 SOL
Validator Identity: GKvqsuNcnwWqPzzuhLmGi4rzzh55FhJtGizkhHaEJqiV
Authorized Voter: GKvqsuNcnwWqPzzuhLmGi4rzzh55FhJtGizkhHaEJqiV
Authorized Withdrawer: EXU95vqs93yPeCeAU7mPPu6HbRUmTFPEiGug9oCdvQ5F
Commission: 10%
Root Slot: 98765000
Recent Timestamp: 2026-02-28T04:22:15Z
Epoch Credits: 147462
Last Vote: 98765432

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List All Validators

View all validators and their vote accounts: 
solana validators
Output: 
Identity                                     | Vote Account                                 | Commission | Last Vote    | Root Slot | Skip Rate | Stake
---------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+------------+--------------+-----------+-----------+-------------------
GKvqsuNcnwWqPzzuhLmGi4rzzh55FhJtGizkhHaEJqiV | 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF | 10%        | 98765432     | 98765000  | 0.00%     | 1234567.890 SOL
Filter by specific validator: 
solana validators --filter <IDENTITY_PUBKEY>

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Show Delinquent Validators

List validators that haven’t voted recently: 
solana validators --delinquent

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Voting History

View epoch voting history: 
solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> --lamports
Includes detailed credit history across epochs.

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Close Vote Account

Closing a vote account reclaims the rent-exempt SOL: 
solana close-vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <RECIPIENT_ADDRESS> \
    --authorized-withdrawer <KEYPAIR>
Example: 
solana close-vote-account 9QU2QSxhb24FUX3Tu2FpczXjpK3VYrvRudywSZaM29mF \
    EXU95vqs93yPeCeAU7mPPu6HbRUmTFPEiGug9oCdvQ5F \
    --authorized-withdrawer ~/withdrawer.json
Prerequisites for closing:
  • Vote account must have no delegated stake
  • Validator must be stopped
  • All stake accounts must be deactivated and withdrawn

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Vote Account Best Practices

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Security

  1. Separate Keys: Use different keypairs for identity, voter, and withdrawer
  2. Hardware Wallet: Store withdrawer authority on hardware wallet
  3. Backup: Maintain secure backups of all keypairs
  4. Checked Operations: Use -checked variants for authority updates

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Operational

  1. Monitor Balance: Regularly check vote account balance
  2. Track Credits: Monitor epoch credits to ensure validator is voting
  3. Commission Strategy: Set competitive commission rates
  4. Withdraw Regularly: Periodically withdraw accumulated rewards
# Generate keys
solana-keygen new -o validator-identity.json
solana-keygen new -o vote-keypair.json
solana-keygen new -o withdrawer.json  # Store on hardware wallet

# Create vote account
solana create-vote-account vote-keypair.json validator-identity.json withdrawer-pubkey \
    --commission 10 \
    --authorized-voter validator-identity.json
Key roles:
  • Identity: Hot wallet, signs votes, used by validator
  • Withdrawer: Cold wallet, only for withdrawals and critical updates
  • Voter: Typically same as identity for convenience

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Common Vote Account Operations

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Initial Setup

1

Generate keypairs

solana-keygen new -o validator-identity.json
solana-keygen new -o vote-account.json
solana-keygen new -o authorized-withdrawer.json
2

Fund validator identity

# On devnet
solana airdrop 10 validator-identity.json

# On mainnet
# Transfer SOL from another wallet
3

Create vote account

solana create-vote-account vote-account.json \
    validator-identity.json \
    authorized-withdrawer-pubkey \
    --commission 10
4

Configure validator

Add vote account to validator startup command:
solana-validator \
    --identity validator-identity.json \
    --vote-account vote-account-pubkey \
    --rpc-port 8899 \
    ...

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Commission Update

# Check current commission
solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> | grep Commission

# Update commission
solana vote-update-commission <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> 5 ~/withdrawer.json

# Verify update
solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> | grep Commission

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Reward Withdrawal

# Check balance
solana balance <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>

# Withdraw rewards
solana withdraw-from-vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> <RECIPIENT> 10 \
    --authorized-withdrawer ~/withdrawer.json

# Verify withdrawal
solana balance <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>

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Troubleshooting

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Vote Account Not Voting

Check:
  1. Validator is running: solana-validator --ledger /path/to/ledger monitor
  2. Vote account is correctly configured in validator
  3. Identity keypair matches vote account’s authorized voter
  4. Validator has sufficient SOL for transaction fees

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Authority Mismatch

Verify authorities: 
solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>
Compare:
  • Authorized Voter vs validator identity
  • Authorized Withdrawer vs your withdrawer keypair

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Cannot Withdraw

Reasons:
  • Insufficient balance (must maintain rent-exempt minimum)
  • Wrong withdrawer authority
  • Vote account has active stake (must be removed first)

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Commission Not Updating

Commission changes take effect at the next epoch boundary. Check: 
solana epoch-info
Wait until the epoch completes, then verify: 
solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS>

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Monitoring Vote Accounts

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Check Vote Status

# Last vote slot
solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> | grep "Last Vote"

# Current slot
solana slot

# Compare - last vote should be close to current slot

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Track Epoch Credits

solana vote-account <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> | grep "Epoch Credits"
Credits should increase each epoch.

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Monitor Skip Rate

solana validators | grep <IDENTITY_PUBKEY>
Look at the “Skip Rate” column. Lower is better (ideally < 10%).

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Advanced Operations

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Offline Transaction Signing

For enhanced security, sign vote account transactions offline: 
# Generate transaction offline
solana vote-update-commission <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> 5 ~/withdrawer.json \
    --sign-only \
    --blockhash <RECENT_BLOCKHASH> \
    --nonce <NONCE_ACCOUNT> \
    --nonce-authority <NONCE_AUTHORITY>

# Submit signed transaction online
solana vote-update-commission <VOTE_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS> 5 ~/withdrawer.json \
    --signer <SIGNATURE>

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Multi-Signature Setup

Use multi-signature accounts for critical vote account authorities. See program documentation for setup details.

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Next Steps

Stake Accounts

Delegate stake to your validator

CLI Overview

Explore all CLI commands