TL;DR
- Starknet’s community backed research into becoming an independent post-quantum Layer 1, with 93.52% of voting power supporting the non-binding proposal.
- The result authorizes further research, not a migration from Ethereum, and any actual transition would require another binding governance vote after technical work.
- StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation formed a working group, while a draft whitepaper is expected in November and STRK would remain the native token for now.
Starknet’s community has backed further research into becoming an independent post-quantum Layer 1, but the result does not authorize a migration away from Ethereum. The seven-day, non-binding governance proposal closed Thursday with 93.52% of voting power supporting the initiative. The vote gives StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation a mandate to study the transition, not to execute it. The decision builds on Starknet’s existing architecture as an Ethereum Layer 2, outlined in this Starknet review.
Starknet Moves From Community Poll to Technical Research
The poll drew about 3,200 votes and marked the highest participation in Starknet governance to date. StarkWare said it abstained, leaving the decision to the community. Any actual move to an independent Layer 1 would require a separate, binding governance vote after additional technical work. The result therefore advances the process opened by the earlier non-binding proposal to research an independent post-quantum L1, rather than finalizing a new chain design.
A working group formed by StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation will now examine the potential transition and prepare more detailed technical proposals. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said a draft whitepaper is expected for public review in November. The research phase is intended to define architecture, security assumptions and implementation options before holders are asked to approve any migration. STRK would remain the network’s native token, and existing bridges between Ethereum and Starknet are expected to remain open under either path.
The security argument centers on Starknet’s remaining dependence on Ethereum. Its hash-based STARK proofs and programmable accounts already provide foundations for post-quantum upgrades, but its bridge and data-availability infrastructure still depend on Ethereum’s security timeline. An independent Layer 1 could give Starknet direct control over upgrading those remaining cryptographic dependencies. The proposal extends the network’s broader roadmap toward full quantum resistance, which targets vulnerabilities before quantum computers become a practical threat.
The vote does not set a migration date, define a final consensus model or approve a replacement for Ethereum settlement. Starknet continues operating as an Ethereum Layer 2 while research proceeds. The community has endorsed investigation, not separation from Ethereum. That distinction is important after earlier market attention around Starknet weighing a transition to an independent L1. The next concrete milestone is the expected November whitepaper, which could frame later proposals and another governance vote before any structural change can occur for now.
