diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 0bec6c9e0..7c867b902 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2190,6 +2190,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "ethlambda-storage",
  "ethlambda-test-fixtures",
  "ethlambda-types",
+ "foldhash 0.2.0",
  "hex",
  "libssz 0.3.0 (git+https://github.com/lambdaclass/libssz?rev=5cb14378ffdadcb51b387c003567e2630d0c7073)",
  "libssz-derive 0.3.0 (git+https://github.com/lambdaclass/libssz?rev=5cb14378ffdadcb51b387c003567e2630d0c7073)",
diff --git a/crates/blockchain/state_transition/Cargo.toml b/crates/blockchain/state_transition/Cargo.toml
index 7b819c538..f921f3dc2 100644
--- a/crates/blockchain/state_transition/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/blockchain/state_transition/Cargo.toml
@@ -87,6 +87,11 @@ c-kzg = { version = "2.1.8", features = ["ethereum_kzg_settings"] }
 # functions that c-kzg does not export.
 num-bigint = "0.4.6"
 
+# The fork-choice vote tally hashes once per validator into a map of a few dozen
+# keys; std's SipHash was one of the largest costs in head computation. Already
+# in the lockfile through other crates, so this adds no new version.
+foldhash = "0.2.0"
+
 [dev-dependencies]
 ethlambda-test-fixtures.workspace = true
 serde.workspace = true
diff --git a/crates/blockchain/state_transition/src/beacon/fork_choice.rs b/crates/blockchain/state_transition/src/beacon/fork_choice.rs
index ac83d85fe..b560f01f2 100644
--- a/crates/blockchain/state_transition/src/beacon/fork_choice.rs
+++ b/crates/blockchain/state_transition/src/beacon/fork_choice.rs
@@ -2291,7 +2291,13 @@ pub fn compute_node_weights(
     // reads the store's own scratch may run inside the closure: see
     // `for_each_non_equivocating_latest_message` for why asking it per voter
     // from in here would deadlock, and a payload link is such a read.
-    let mut votes: HashMap<(Root, Slot, bool), Gwei> = HashMap::new();
+    //
+    // One hash per validator into a map of a few dozen keys, so the hasher is
+    // the cost. foldhash's `RandomState` is seeded per process, so a peer
+    // cannot precompute vote keys that collide; the sums are saturating adds,
+    // so the order the map is drained in below does not matter.
+    let mut votes: HashMap<(Root, Slot, bool), Gwei, foldhash::fast::RandomState> =
+        HashMap::default();
     store.for_each_non_equivocating_latest_message(|validator_index, message| {
         // An index past the snapshot is a validator that did not exist at the
         // justified checkpoint, and an inactive or slashed one is zero in it:
@@ -10624,4 +10630,46 @@ mod tests {
             );
         }
     }
+
+    /// Prints the time to tally a mainnet-sized vote set (one hash per
+    /// validator, few distinct keys) under std's hasher and under the one
+    /// `compute_node_weights` uses. Run with `--ignored --nocapture`.
+    #[test]
+    #[ignore = "benchmark: prints timings"]
+    fn bench_vote_tally_hashers() {
+        use std::hash::BuildHasher;
+        use std::hint::black_box;
+        use std::time::Instant;
+
+        const VOTES: usize = 1_000_000;
+        const KEYS: usize = 64;
+        let keys: Vec<(Root, Slot, bool)> = (0..KEYS)
+            .map(|i| (Root::repeat_byte(i as u8), 1000 + i as u64, i % 2 == 0))
+            .collect();
+
+        fn tally<S: BuildHasher + Default>(keys: &[(Root, Slot, bool)]) -> usize {
+            let mut votes: HashMap<(Root, Slot, bool), Gwei, S> = HashMap::default();
+            for i in 0..VOTES {
+                let entry = votes.entry(keys[(i * 7) % KEYS]).or_default();
+                *entry = entry.saturating_add(32);
+            }
+            votes.len()
+        }
+
+        for _ in 0..6 {
+            let start = Instant::now();
+            let std_len = black_box(tally::<std::collections::hash_map::RandomState>(black_box(
+                &keys,
+            )));
+            let std_time = start.elapsed();
+            let start = Instant::now();
+            let fast_len = black_box(tally::<foldhash::fast::RandomState>(black_box(&keys)));
+            let fast_time = start.elapsed();
+            assert_eq!(std_len, fast_len);
+            println!(
+                "{VOTES} votes over {KEYS} keys: std {std_time:?}, foldhash {fast_time:?}, ratio {:.1}",
+                std_time.as_secs_f64() / fast_time.as_secs_f64()
+            );
+        }
+    }
 }