Starknet vote backs research into becoming a post-quantum Layer 1
Over 93.5% of voting power in a seven-day Snapshot poll supported studying a move away from Ethereum Layer 2 status. A draft whitepaper is due in November.
LAYER 2
Sofia Marchetti
10/22/20261 min read
Starknet's community has backed research into turning the Ethereum Layer 2 into an independent, post-quantum Layer 1. A seven-day Snapshot poll found more than 93.5% of voting power in favor, with over 2,800 wallets taking part, according to StarkWare. The company, which develops Starknet, did not vote and left the decision to the community.
The poll is not a decision to migrate. STRK holders would need to vote again on any concrete proposal to move the network. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson first floated the idea on X on October 8, and voting opened on October 15. StarkWare expects to publish a draft whitepaper for public review in November 2026, building on a three-phase post-quantum roadmap released in June.
Starknet already uses hash-based cryptography, and its accounts can adopt post-quantum signatures without protocol changes. But as a rollup it inherits its security from Ethereum, and its bridge and data availability cannot become quantum-safe on their own. Ben-Sasson said Ethereum's 2029 target is too late and set a 2027 goal for Starknet, though no date for a Layer 1 transition has been agreed.
The Starknet Foundation said STRK will remain the native token whichever path is chosen, that no new token will be introduced, and that Ethereum bridges to Starknet will stay open. Ben-Sasson also said AI agents are accelerating the quantum threat in ways many people do not realise.
Source: The Block.