Despite the fact that voting should be one of the most secure and confidential things ever, sadly, the fear of voting fraud is rapidly increasing. Experts are saying that Blockchain technology could completely eliminate this however; by securing a digital ballot box or voting system, which will prevent voter fraud during elections. Using this technology will mean that once votes have been cast, they will be completely unalterable and available for everyone to see. Using a blockchain technology system to vote could completely change the way in which we have always seen voting being done. Instead of visiting a registered polling station, voters will instead cast their votes from their mobile phones or personal computers. These will then be logged into an immutable blockchain and utilised to reliably verify the results of the election. Jamie Skella is a co-founder of Horizon State; one of the companies that is building said system, has stated;
“Democracy is the opportunity to share in the decision-making processes that relates to the shared matters which affect us. Democracy is about reaching consensus on how to best use our shared resources to achieve the best outcomes for our partners, children, colleagues, staff and fellow citizens. Where there are shared resources in any cooperative environment, there remains no question: we need better shared decision-making tools and processes.”
What does this mean for the 21st Century?
Blockchain technology has completely revolutionised the global political landscape towards direct democracy, which is where voters can decide the course of government policy. Having a completely digital ballot box will represent a smart and cost-effective solution to the existing way in which votes are cast. There are so many benefits to introducing a blockchain inspired voting system, namely that they will completely eliminate such issues such as manipulation, recording errors, and tampering, as well as encouraging voters’ participation. The trouble with a blockchain based voting system is the reluctance of change. The governments of the respective countries, have to have the ability to engage and manage a constituency that is vital to the future of their society. They should be promoting a blockchain technology to become a key part of this voting process. It is, understandably a slow process, but one that is becoming more well-known and accepted across some societies. This acceptance has led to various governments around the globe to be investigating the idea of using blockchain for national ID systems, to avoid identity frauds, which are commonly used to manipulate the existing and more traditional voting processes.
Could Blockchain be the future of voting?
This blockchain technology really is paving the way for a direct democracy. Although the current systems will have to be changed, it is ideal for many because it is so diverse. Although, like we said using blockchain technology as a voting system is still being developed it has the chance to mature alongside the young voters, so it become the norm and part of our collective future, changing the way in which we vote forever.
References and Further Reading:
- The CoinTelegraph; Blockchain May Help Prevent Voting Fraud, Increase Governments’ Responsiveness
- Investopedia; How Blockchain Technology Can Prevent Voter Fraud
- Quora; Could the Blockchain.info technology be used to eliminate voter fraud in elections.
- Raconteur; How blockchain is eliminating online fraud
- Forbes; Block the Vote: Could Blockchain Technology Cybersecure Elections?
- Follow My Vote; How Can We Stop All Voter Fraud
