As in many parts of the world, we see democratic institutions struggling with issues of public trust, election integrity, and voter suppression which have come to a head. To that end many technologists and policy wonks are looking to blockchain technology to turn the tide. Blockchain-based voting systems put forth a secure, transparent, and impenetrable framework which may be the beginning of a very large change in how we as a group conduct our elections we see in this the possibility of more accessible, verifiable, and trustworthy elections.
The Trust Deficit in Modern Elections
In the past few years, elections have seen reports of fraud, hacking, voter manipulation and disenfranchisement. Also, we see the growth of misinformation campaigns and the issue of transparent vote counting, which does away with public confidence. In some cases, what we are seeing is large-scale voter apathy which is a result of a doubt that individual votes are counted and recorded as cast. Into this we have brought forward blockchain which puts forth a very different solution of transparency and crypto security.
How Blockchain Voting Works
At the root, blockchain is a decentralized digital transaction record that we see within a network of multiple nodes. Each transaction has a time stamp and is permanent; once entered into the blockchain, it can not be changed. In a blockchain voting platform, each vote is a unique encrypted transaction that is forever stored and made public to verify but at the same time, the identity of the voter is protected.
This system allows for:
- End-to-end verifiability: Voting results may be checked by the voters.
- Tamper resistance: Any change in vote data will be quickly noticed by the network.
- Decentralization: No single weak link which can be targeted for manipulation or cyber attack.
Enhancing Transparency and Accessibility
Blockchain may see great success in increasing the transparency of elections, which in turn will have public audit trails available to all. This level of open access may in turn put a stop to fraud and see results accepted by all political parties. Also we may see the implementation of blockchain-based voting via smartphones and secure digital devices which in turn will include citizens in remote or underserved areas which may not have had easy access before.
Such access would also include the expansion of voter participation of marginalized groups, overseas citizens, and people with disabilities which traditional voting systems often leave out.
Real-World Pilots and Progress
In many parts of the world we see that blockchain-based voting is at the testing stage. Estonia which is a leader in digital governance has looked into the use of blockchain for its digital ID and also for the voting process. In the U.S. we see states like West Virginia which have put out mobile blockchain voting apps for military personnel based abroad. While these are early signs of what is to come and initial success, we also see that very careful evaluation is required as well as robust cybersecurity measures.
Challenges and Considerations
Despite what it may appear from first glance, blockchain voting has its issues. Technical literacy, security of devices, and the issue that the blockchain code has holes must be dealt with. Also for wide-scale adoption, we require large-scale political will, clear regulation, and public education to win over the masses.
Also, we see that there is an issue of unequal access to digital tools and the internet which in turn may disenfranchise voters who do not have access. This must be put into consideration with the development of thoughtful design and inclusive policy frameworks.
