BLOCKCHAIN E-VOTING IS REAL: WHERE, HOW, WHEN?
https://irishtechnews.ie/blockchain-e-voting-is-real-where-how-when/
Cyber-security issues continue to remain one of the hottest topics during presidential elections, as fears have often been raised that domestic or foreign actors could try to skew the results of the election.
While many see a solution in dumping all forms of electronic voting and defaulting back to offline, paper-based systems — especially as electronic voting machines have proven to be extremely vulnerable — others are hoping new technologies can make elections more secure. Blockchain technology, especially, is drawing a lot of interest on this front.
Many blockchains currently exist, and a number of these could serve as possible platforms for voting services. Follow My Vote is a Virginia-based startup hoping to move people toward blockchain-based voting. The startup will be testing its platform in a mock online election that will run in parallel with the U.S. presidential election.
There’s also NYC-based Blockchain Technologies Corp., which is taking a hybrid approach of a blockchain-powered voting system coupled with paper ballots that use QR codes to ensure each vote is only cast once.
But we’re seeing more movement in blockchain voting outside the U.S.
The government-owned Australian Post service, for example, is using blockchain technology to create a location agnostic, tamper-proof voting system that is traceable and anonymous, and would prove to be resilient against denial of service attacks. For the moment, the service is testing the waters with corporate and community elections, but the directors of the project hope to one day be able to handle full parliamentary elections.
Russia’s central securities depository, NSD, is also dabbling in blockchain with a fully functional e-proxy voting system, a ledger on which voting instructions are transmitted and counted. The technology has already been used at bondholder meetings and will be extended to other business areas of the NSD.
Another country looking to leverage blockchain technology for voting is Estonia, which is already a leader in politics technology with its e-residency program, an electronic identity platform that enables foreigners to do business and access government services. The country is now complementing previous efforts with a blockchain-based e-voting system that enables both Estonian nationals and e-residents to securely vote in company shareholder meetings.