diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftNode.cs b/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftNode.cs
index 9eafdcd..0bd9c0f 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftNode.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftNode.cs
@@ -49,12 +49,24 @@ public sealed class RaftNode
         TryBecomeLeader(clusterSize);
     }
 
-    public VoteResponse GrantVote(int term)
+    public VoteResponse GrantVote(int term, string candidateId = "")
     {
         if (term < TermState.CurrentTerm)
             return new VoteResponse { Granted = false };
 
-        TermState.CurrentTerm = term;
+        if (term > TermState.CurrentTerm)
+        {
+            TermState.CurrentTerm = term;
+            TermState.VotedFor = null;
+        }
+
+        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TermState.VotedFor)
+            && !string.Equals(TermState.VotedFor, candidateId, StringComparison.Ordinal))
+        {
+            return new VoteResponse { Granted = false };
+        }
+
+        TermState.VotedFor = candidateId;
         return new VoteResponse { Granted = true };
     }
 
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftSnapshotStore.cs b/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftSnapshotStore.cs
index 0fd98ca..e6947b3 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftSnapshotStore.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftSnapshotStore.cs
@@ -1,17 +1,41 @@
+using System.Text.Json;
+
 namespace NATS.Server.Raft;
 
 public sealed class RaftSnapshotStore
 {
     private RaftSnapshot? _snapshot;
+    private readonly string? _snapshotPath;
+
+    public RaftSnapshotStore(string? snapshotPath = null)
+    {
+        _snapshotPath = snapshotPath;
+    }
 
     public Task SaveAsync(RaftSnapshot snapshot, CancellationToken ct)
     {
         _snapshot = snapshot;
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_snapshotPath))
+        {
+            var dir = Path.GetDirectoryName(_snapshotPath);
+            if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(dir))
+                Directory.CreateDirectory(dir);
+
+            File.WriteAllText(_snapshotPath, JsonSerializer.Serialize(snapshot));
+        }
+
         return Task.CompletedTask;
     }
 
     public Task<RaftSnapshot?> LoadAsync(CancellationToken ct)
     {
+        if (_snapshot == null
+            && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_snapshotPath)
+            && File.Exists(_snapshotPath))
+        {
+            _snapshot = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<RaftSnapshot>(File.ReadAllText(_snapshotPath));
+        }
+
         return Task.FromResult(_snapshot);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftTransport.cs b/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftTransport.cs
index bf0ca44..9a2a51f 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftTransport.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/Raft/RaftTransport.cs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ public sealed class InMemoryRaftTransport : IRaftTransport
     public Task<VoteResponse> RequestVoteAsync(string candidateId, string voterId, VoteRequest request, CancellationToken ct)
     {
         if (_nodes.TryGetValue(voterId, out var node))
-            return Task.FromResult(node.GrantVote(request.Term));
+            return Task.FromResult(node.GrantVote(request.Term, string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(request.CandidateId) ? candidateId : request.CandidateId));
 
         return Task.FromResult(new VoteResponse { Granted = false });
     }
diff --git a/tests/NATS.Server.Tests/Raft/RaftStrictConsensusRuntimeTests.cs b/tests/NATS.Server.Tests/Raft/RaftStrictConsensusRuntimeTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4ab3387
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/NATS.Server.Tests/Raft/RaftStrictConsensusRuntimeTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+using NATS.Server.Raft;
+
+namespace NATS.Server.Tests.Raft;
+
+public class RaftStrictConsensusRuntimeTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Quorum_and_nextindex_rules_gate_commit_visibility_and_snapshot_catchup_convergence()
+    {
+        var voter = new RaftNode("v1");
+        voter.GrantVote(2, "cand-a").Granted.ShouldBeTrue();
+        voter.GrantVote(2, "cand-b").Granted.ShouldBeFalse();
+
+        var transport = new RejectingRaftTransport();
+        var leader = new RaftNode("n1", transport);
+        var followerA = new RaftNode("n2", transport);
+        var followerB = new RaftNode("n3", transport);
+        var cluster = new[] { leader, followerA, followerB };
+        foreach (var node in cluster)
+            node.ConfigureCluster(cluster);
+
+        leader.StartElection(cluster.Length);
+        leader.ReceiveVote(new VoteResponse { Granted = true }, cluster.Length);
+        leader.IsLeader.ShouldBeTrue();
+
+        _ = await leader.ProposeAsync("cmd-1", default);
+        leader.AppliedIndex.ShouldBe(0);
+        followerA.AppliedIndex.ShouldBe(0);
+        followerB.AppliedIndex.ShouldBe(0);
+    }
+
+    private sealed class RejectingRaftTransport : IRaftTransport
+    {
+        public Task<IReadOnlyList<AppendResult>> AppendEntriesAsync(string leaderId, IReadOnlyList<string> followerIds, RaftLogEntry entry, CancellationToken ct)
+            => Task.FromResult<IReadOnlyList<AppendResult>>(
+                followerIds.Select(id => new AppendResult { FollowerId = id, Success = false }).ToArray());
+
+        public Task<VoteResponse> RequestVoteAsync(string candidateId, string voterId, VoteRequest request, CancellationToken ct)
+            => Task.FromResult(new VoteResponse { Granted = true });
+
+        public Task InstallSnapshotAsync(string leaderId, string followerId, RaftSnapshot snapshot, CancellationToken ct)
+            => Task.CompletedTask;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/NATS.Server.Tests/Raft/RaftStrictConvergenceRuntimeTests.cs b/tests/NATS.Server.Tests/Raft/RaftStrictConvergenceRuntimeTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dcc574d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/NATS.Server.Tests/Raft/RaftStrictConvergenceRuntimeTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+using NATS.Server.Raft;
+
+namespace NATS.Server.Tests.Raft;
+
+public class RaftStrictConvergenceRuntimeTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Quorum_and_nextindex_rules_gate_commit_visibility_and_snapshot_catchup_convergence()
+    {
+        var file = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"nats-raft-snapshot-{Guid.NewGuid():N}.json");
+
+        try
+        {
+            var first = new RaftSnapshotStore(file);
+            await first.SaveAsync(new RaftSnapshot
+            {
+                LastIncludedIndex = 7,
+                LastIncludedTerm = 3,
+            }, default);
+
+            var reopened = new RaftSnapshotStore(file);
+            var loaded = await reopened.LoadAsync(default);
+            loaded.ShouldNotBeNull();
+            loaded.LastIncludedIndex.ShouldBe(7);
+            loaded.LastIncludedTerm.ShouldBe(3);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            if (File.Exists(file))
+                File.Delete(file);
+        }
+    }
+}