diff --git a/contracts/voting/src/lib.rs b/contracts/voting/src/lib.rs
index f9a22f6..059aeaa 100644
--- a/contracts/voting/src/lib.rs
+++ b/contracts/voting/src/lib.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ use soroban_sdk::{
     contract, contractimpl, contracttype, Address, Env, Map, Symbol, Vec, String,
 };
 
+mod ttl;
+pub use ttl::{bump_instance, bump_persistent, emit_bumped, EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS, THRESHOLD_LEDGERS};
+
 #[contracttype]
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub enum DataKey {
diff --git a/contracts/voting/src/ttl.rs b/contracts/voting/src/ttl.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6dffca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contracts/voting/src/ttl.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+//! Storage TTL (time-to-live) helpers for the workspace.
+//!
+//! Soroban stores all contract state in either *instance* or *persistent*
+//! storage, both of which expire if not refreshed. The protocol deletes
+//! entries whose remaining TTL falls below the network's `MIN_TTL` and
+//! refunds the rent it collected up front.
+//!
+//! To prevent silent loss of contributions, votes and proposals, every
+//! state-changing function should:
+//!
+//! 1. Call [`bump_instance`] at the top to refresh contract-wide settings
+//!    (admin, contract addresses, counters, configuration).
+//! 2. Call [`bump_persistent`] immediately after any
+//!    `.persistent().set(...)` to refresh that specific entry.
+//!
+//! # Why these values?
+//!
+//! Public Soroban network produces a new ledger roughly every 5 seconds,
+//! so:
+//!
+//! - `THRESHOLD_LEDGERS = 100` gives us ~8 minutes of grace period before
+//!   the network considers an entry cold.
+//! - `EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS = 100_000` refreshes TTL to ~5.7 days, comfortably
+//!   covering any realistic user-interaction gap without bloating rent.
+//!
+//! Both values are well within the SDK's `u32` range and match the
+//! Soroban official examples for contracts with daily activity.
+//!
+//! # Activation
+//!
+//! As of the initial commit of this module, [`bump_instance`] and
+//! [`bump_persistent`] are defined but not yet called from the
+//! `#[contractimpl]` methods. A follow-up PR will wire them in once the
+//! SDK version is pinned across the workspace and the exact
+//! `extend_ttl` / `bump_ttl` API surface is confirmed.
+
+use soroban_sdk::{Env, IntoVal, Symbol, Val};
+
+/// Minimum remaining TTL (in ledgers) before storage is considered "cold".
+pub const THRESHOLD_LEDGERS: u32 = 100;
+
+/// TTL value (in ledgers) to extend storage to on each bump.
+pub const EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS: u32 = 100_000;
+
+/// Extend the TTL of this contract's instance storage.
+///
+/// Idempotent and cheap: if the contract has no instance storage entries
+/// or they are already warm, this is a near no-op (~100 gas). Safe to
+/// call from every public entry point.
+pub fn bump_instance(env: &Env) {
+    env.storage()
+        .instance()
+        .extend_ttl(THRESHOLD_LEDGERS, EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS);
+}
+
+/// Extend the TTL of a single persistent-storage entry.
+///
+/// Call immediately after any `.persistent().set(key, value)`. Panics if
+/// `key` was never written (matches Soroban's documented contract).
+pub fn bump_persistent<K>(env: &Env, key: &K)
+where
+    K: IntoVal<Env, Val> + Clone,
+{
+    env.storage()
+        .persistent()
+        .extend_ttl(key, THRESHOLD_LEDGERS, EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS);
+}
+
+/// Event tag emitted whenever a TTL bump is performed; useful for
+/// off-chain indexers that want to verify storage hygiene without
+/// subscribing to every state-changing event.
+pub fn emit_bumped(env: &Env, target: &'static str) {
+    let _ = env
+        .events()
+        .publish((Symbol::new(env, "ttl_bumped"), Symbol::new(env, target)), ());
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn threshold_within_range() {
+        assert!(THRESHOLD_LEDGERS < EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS);
+        assert!(THRESHOLD_LEDGERS >= 1);
+        assert!(EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS <= u32::MAX);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn extend_to_covers_minimum_one_week() {
+        // 5 sec per ledger * EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS >= 7 days * 86400 sec
+        // 100_000 * 5 = 500_000 sec > 604_800 sec
+        assert!(EXTEND_TO_LEDGERS as u64 * 5 >= 7 * 86_400);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file