Starknet opens vote on becoming an independent layer 1

Starknet opened a seven-day poll on Oct. 15 asking STRK holders whether the network should research becoming an independent post-quantum layer 1, a step that would loosen its dependence on Ethereum's upgrade schedule for quantum security.

Anyone staking or delegating STRK can vote in the non-binding Snapshot poll, which opened at 09:32 UTC on Oct. 15 and closes at the same time on Oct. 22, Unchained reported. StarkWare called it the first governance vote on the potential transition. Voters get three choices: yes to further research, no to further research, or neutral pending more information.

A yes vote would start research, not approve a switch. Backing the research does not count as approval of a move to an L1, and any future decision to proceed would need its own governance process, the proposal reads. A no outcome means post-quantum work continues with Starknet as a layer 2, while a neutral outcome leaves the forum thread open until the missing answers arrive.

Security is the stated reason. The parts of Starknet under its own control can be made quantum-resistant soon, while the bridge and data availability layers move on Ethereum's timetable, Henri of the Starknet Foundation wrote in the forum post attached to the poll. Running as its own layer 1 would end that reliance. The post notes that Starknet already uses hash-based STARK proofs with native account abstraction, and that user accounts can adopt post-quantum signatures without a protocol upgrade. Remaining work is tracked surface by surface on StarkWare's Quantum Hub.

Two points are fixed whatever happens. STRK stays the token with no new token, and bridges from Ethereum into Starknet remain open, the post said. No timetable for becoming an L1 has been announced.

StarkWare presented the poll as the first governance vote on the potential transition, linking the Snapshot ballot from its official X account, the report said. Only STRK stakers and delegators can take part. The ballot wording keeps the question narrow: yes means the topic should be researched, no means no further work, and neutral means more information is needed first. A yes outcome would start a research effort that produces more detailed proposals and further polls, and any later decision to proceed would go through its own dedicated governance process rather than following automatically from this vote. The forum thread stays open for comments and discussion alongside the ballot.

Early voting leaned heavily one way. By about 14:40 UTC on Oct. 15, 293 votes had been cast and 99.9 percent of roughly 179.8 million in voting power backed yes, according to Snapshot data cited by Unchained. The poll carries no quorum requirement, so the result will stand as a read of sentiment however many holders take part.

StarkWare co-founder and CEO Eli Ben-Sasson wrote on X that becoming an L1 is a big deal, as is post-quantum security, and that the team wants to hear what the community thinks, according to Unchained. Ben-Sasson first floated the idea on Oct. 8 alongside a talk at Token2049, asking whether an L1 built for post-quantum agility was a good or bad idea. Starknet's own account said that day it was considering the move with 2027 as its target for full quantum resistance, and two days later StarkWare posted that an independent L1 was its clearest path forward.

"Quantum-proofing crypto is urgent, so we must move at lightning speed," Ben-Sasson told Cointelegraph, contrasting the proposal with what he described as slower progress at Ethereum and Bitcoin, in the outlet's Oct. 15 report. StarkWare laid out a three-phase quantum-resistance roadmap in June covering signature upgrades, smart-contract migration and Ethereum-dependent infrastructure. Ethereum developers set up a dedicated post-quantum team in March aiming at first protocol-level protections by 2029, the same report noted.

Ben-Sasson put the question to followers on Oct. 8, asking whether an L1 built for post-quantum agility was a good or bad idea. StarkWare followed two days later by calling the independent L1 its clearest path forward, and the Snapshot poll opened five days after that.

Results will be visible as soon as voting closes on Oct. 22.