ENS DAO vote on ENSv2 mainnet activation

ENS DAO is voting on a proposal to execute the mainnet activation of ENSv2, with the vote running through October 25, 2026. The decision concerns the ENS governance token and the future of the Ethereum Name Service registry.

What is happening

According to CoinDesk's Crypto Week Ahead, ENS DAO is voting to execute the mainnet activation of ENSv2. The vote is listed among the governance votes and calls for the week of October 19, and it ends on October 25.

If the proposal passes, v1 registrations will be frozen. Existing names will remain renewable, so current holders of ENS names are not cut off from keeping them. The proposal also transfers control over to the DAO.

The vote is one of several governance decisions scheduled across the crypto sector that week, alongside votes at Arbitrum, Optimism, Starknet, ZKsync and others. The ENS vote has the latest deadline of the group.

Why it matters

For ENS name holders, the key point is continuity: renewals of existing names are kept, while new registrations on the v1 system would stop. Anyone planning to register or manage names should follow how the transition is carried out after the vote concludes.

For ENS token holders and traders, the vote is a governance milestone, since it involves moving control over to the DAO and activating a major protocol version on mainnet. The outcome will determine whether the activation proceeds. Participants may want to watch the final tally, the voting deadline on October 25 and any official announcements about execution steps that follow a successful vote.

Key details

• Date: October 19-25, 2026 (voting ends October 25)
• Project: ENS
• Coins: ENS
• Category: Governance Vote
• Status: Confirmed
• Source: CoinDesk, Crypto Week Ahead