Starknet Snapshot Backs Research Into Independent Post-Quantum Layer 1
By Node Zero
October 22, 2026
Starknet’s non-binding Snapshot poll on researching an independent, post-quantum Layer 1 closed October 22, 2026 with 93.52% of voting power in favor, the Starknet Foundation said in a governance forum post. Cointelegraph put participation near 3,200 votes and said StarkWare called it the network’s highest governance turnout to date — with StarkWare abstaining so the community decided. This is a Dev & Protocol Pulse chapter: a research mandate, not a mainnet flip and not a privacy-wallet ship date.
The Foundation is explicit about scope. The poll authorizes StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation to start research on technical requirements, trade-offs, and user/builder implications; it does not approve leaving Ethereum. Starknet remains an Ethereum L2 until a later, dedicated governance process. A joint working group will publish findings to the forum; if research supports moving forward, detailed proposals would face further votes. Cointelegraph quotes StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson targeting a draft whitepaper for public review in November, a 2027 quantum-resistance goal for Starknet, and criticism of Ethereum’s ~2029 quantum-safe L1 target as “too late.”
Protocol framing from the Foundation: STARK proofs are hash-based and accounts can adopt new signature schemes without a protocol upgrade, but bridge and data-availability security still inherit Ethereum’s timeline. Proposal text cited in secondary coverage says STRK would remain the native token with no new token planned, and existing Starknet–Ethereum bridges would stay open if a transition were ever approved. Keep this file separate from Bramble / STRK20 shielding and from any Shadow Accounts product launch wraps — those are privacy UX, not L1 research governance.
For builders, the actionable cut is calendar and gate type: research and a November draft paper first; any L1 transition stays behind a separate binding vote. Do not treat 93.52% as a leave-Ethereum countdown.
Next protocol beat: Watch the November draft whitepaper and the working group’s first forum findings for concrete L1 design options, bridge/DA assumptions, and the next governance ballot wording — not price reaction on STRK.
Bottom line: Starknet’s Snapshot closed at 93.52% Yes for research into an independent post-quantum L1 — not approval to leave Ethereum; November draft paper next.
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