# Getting started

Governance of the Swarm Network by its Members is an important function. Here is a quick-start guide to getting a governance action to vote.

1. **Talk about it**. Present your idea and put it out to the community for discussion and to get feedback on it. [Discourse ](https://community.swarm.fund)is a good forum for serious discussion of a proposal, though [Telegram](https://t.me/swarmfund), [Reddit](https://reddit.com/r/swarm/), and the [Issues](https://github.com/swarmfund/networkgovernance/issues) tab in GitHub are also good venues to share your idea and get initial feedback.
2. **Iterate**. Based on feedback, develop your idea until you feel it is solid enough to formulate into a coherent proposal, with clearly presented benefits and budget implications.
3. **Finalise your idea**. While you’re getting feedback from Members, or when you’re ready, start formally documenting your idea. You can use a [template](https://github.com/swarmfund/networkgovernance/tree/master/templates) as a guide for how to structure your proposal.
4. **Submit a draft proposal**: Only Swarm Members may submit a proposal for balloting. To enter the Swarm Network Voting Queue, submit your proposal to Github and stake a minimum of two hundred and fifty (250) SWM tokens. Instructions for submitting a draft proposal are [here](https://docs.swarmnetwork.org/swarm-network/network-governance/actions/proposal-process).
5. **Get support**: Other Members can stake against your proposal. Every two months, the top five most supported ballots, by stake, are selected to be voted on. Go out there and campaign.
6. **Vote!**: Read up on all upcoming ballots, talk to their sponsors, and don’t forget to vote. Every SWM token holder can vote on every ballot.