Starknet Voters Back Research Into Becoming a Post-Quantum L1

Starknet's community has said yes to a question, not a move. A seven-day governance poll on whether to research turning Starknet into an independent, post-quantum layer-1 closed on Thursday with about 3,200 votes and 93.52% of voting power in favour.

That result starts a research effort. It doesn't change how the network runs. Starknet stays an Ethereum layer-2 for now, and any actual switch would need a separate, binding vote.

What the Poll Actually Asked

The design of the ballot is the interesting part. Voters weren't asked to leave Ethereum. They got three choices: support further research, oppose it, or stay neutral until more information arrives.

The proposal on the Starknet community forum spells out what a "Yes" buys: a research effort leading to more detailed proposals and further polls. It also fixes two things that holders tend to worry about first. STRK remains the token, with no new token planned, and bridges between Ethereum and Starknet stay open.

StarkWare says turnout was the highest in Starknet's governance history, and that it abstained so the community could decide. The poll's page on Starknet's governance portal lists the vote but did not display the tallies at the time of writing, so the figures above come from reports of the count rather than the portal itself.

If you followed our earlier piece on the vote's opening, this is the answer to the question it posed.

Why a Quantum-Safe Rollup Still Leans on Ethereum

StarkWare first raised the idea on Oct. 8, citing Starknet's dependence on Ethereum for security. Here's the puzzle that makes the proposal make sense.

Starknet already proves its transactions with STARK proofs, which are hash-based. Hash-based cryptography is generally the kind expected to hold up against quantum computers. So the proofs themselves aren't the weak spot.

The weak spots are the parts Starknet borrows from Ethereum:

• Bridge messaging, the channel that carries assets and messages between Ethereum and Starknet.
• Data availability, the guarantee that transaction data is published where anyone can check it, which currently rides on Ethereum's blob storage.

Both move on Ethereum's upgrade schedule, not Starknet's. A rollup can lock its own front door and still depend on a neighbour to fix the gate.

A 2027 Target Against Ethereum's 2029

StarkWare's Ben-Sasson has set a 2027 target for making Starknet quantum-resistant. He has been blunt about the gap with Ethereum: "Ethereum's target of 2029 to become quantum-safe is too late, and deadlines slip."

The existing roadmap, unveiled in June, splits the work into three phases: cryptographic upgrades, migration of existing smart contracts, and the infrastructure that still depends on Ethereum. That third phase is the one an independent chain would try to take into its own hands.

Some pieces are already being tried. StarkWare's Quantum Hub says it processed a transaction on Starknet mainnet using quantum-resistant technology. It also says that technology is experimental and has not been audited, so treat it as a demonstration, not a shipped defence.

The Security Question Critics Raised

Not everyone on the forum was convinced. One critic argued that leaving Ethereum gives up its security budget and hands that job to Starknet's own stakers: "Becoming an L1 does not decentralize Starknet. It drops Ethereum's security budget and asks the current STRK set to replace it."

The same post noted that Starknet staking sits at phase two of four, and that validators stake 20,000 STRK but don't yet produce blocks. No complete replacement security model for an independent chain has been published.

On the other side, validator operator Cumulo said it voted Yes and offered to run test nodes.

Next Up: A Whitepaper in November

StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation have set up a working group to examine the transition and draft more detailed technical proposals. Ben-Sasson said writing starts right away: "We're beginning work on a whitepaper even before we start the weekend, and hope to release a draft for public scrutiny in November."

That draft is the document to watch. It should show how Starknet would secure itself without Ethereum, which is the question this poll left open and the one the binding vote will have to answer.