INTRODUCTION
Tyler Winklevoss reacted to the US election with a tweet about using blockchain technology in election
When it comes to certain traditions, the evident existence of most technological advancements should provide easier, smoother, and more easily-accessible ways for people to do things, like voting. While the more tech-savvy among us believe that blockchain-based voting systems should come into play 10 years ago, a large number among us still believe that voting should be direct and private.
But there’s one thing that the latter group forgot to take into consideration: crypto wallets thrive in staying private while also being publicly verifiable and to that extent, so are blockchains.
ELECTIONS, BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY, DIGITAL TRANSPARENCY
Blockchain and Internet-based voting platforms have been viewed as one way to boost voter participation by making the process easier through mobile apps that allow both registration and ballot casting to occur from anywhere in the world. Voters in those systems pre-register and then can use their smartphone’s biometric fingerprint readers or facial recognition technology to sign in to cast their votes.
The number of pilots, while growing, remains relatively small — a few dozen, mainly for shareholder proxy voting and university student government elections. But state and municipal governments have been testing blockchain-based mobile voting over the past year.
When Bitcoin was first introduced to the masses, it promoted decentralization and transparency while also the prioritizing of privacy. All three of these matters if put into considerations of political voting should be practical. However, cue human tendencies to be wary of something that is new and different and you will have more than half the world rejecting the idea of blockchain applications in daily life, let alone political voting.
THE IDEA AND APPLICATION OF DIGITAL TRANSPARENCY
Blockchain technology is one of the safest tech on the Internet today. It enables a convenient way of transacting business and eliminates the need of a middleman during transactions. Let’s say you were to purchase a pair of jeans via credit card. Third-party processes include verification and validation from your bank and the vendor’s bank. While blockchain still involves verification and validation, it will be done in a decentralized network of computers called nodes. There is also a record of every transaction made which is kept and updated on a peer-to-peer network of computers. Moreover, the information can also be viewed by everyone in the network. These series of transactions are tied to their previous transactions, making information difficult to alter.
Another safety feature of the blockchain system is the way every transaction affects the rest of the chain, as referenced by its own name. Should an unauthorized user alter a piece of information in a recorded transaction individually, it would take an extended period of time just to hack a single piece of information in a recorded transaction individually, it would take an extended period of time just to hack a single breach occurs, it is only limited to a single block. In order for a breach to be widespread, the unauthorized user would need to alter the rest of the blocks. The innovative technology is a game changer for consumers and businesses alike, creating a faster, more transparent and secure way of earning customer confidence which is less time-consuming and avoids the hassles of red tape. Converting to local currencies shouldn’t also be an issue with its decentralized approach and no governing body to dictate and restrict its value.
BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS IN ELECTORAL SYSTEMS
If we consider present electronic voting systems in-place, blockchain-based and non-blockchain-based, and try to analyse their respective accessibility towards a national (even global) e-voting system, we should have a number of systems already good-to-go. Take a look at how a majority of people are more inclined towards online payment and digital currencies and you will see that with steady mass usage will bear the fruit of mass adoption.
The idea of adapting digital voting systems to make the public electoral process cheaper, faster, and easier is a compelling one in modern society. Making the electoral process cheap and quick, normalizes it in the eyes of the voters, removes a certain power barrier between the voter and the elected official. It also opens the door for a more direct form of democracy, allowing voters to express their will on individual bills and propositions.
A unique, blockchain-based electronic voting system that utilizes smart contracts to enable secure and cost efficient election while guaranteeing voters privacy.
OTHER BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS OUTSIDE OF POLITICS
Since this article focuses on creating and leaning towards an e-voting system based on blockchain, you should also be aware that blockchain technology has already existed and been implemented in the real world. Common and popular examples include:
- Supply chain management — provides accurate identification of the location of items on the supply chain.
- Digital IDs — empowers impoverished people and refugees by linking them to formal financial sectors.
- Healthcare — provides privacy and security of health data and also keeps track of serials and batch numbers of prescription drugs.
- Will or inheritances — used along smart contracts that make documents legally binding and crystal clear.
- Food safety — traces your food from its origin to your plate and in cases of food-borne illnesses, the containment source can be traced quickly and accurately.
- Real estate — stores ownership and title details which also includes removing the use of paper.
CONCLUSION — TRANSPARENCY VS PRIVACY IN REAL LIFE
Blockchain technology is an innovation which has been embraced by a majority of people. Though the functionalities of blockchain are commendable, one needs to remember that it is not the solution to every problem and that different blockchains will suit a variety of needs and circumstances. The applications of blockchain will widely vary from one industry to the other.
