Can blockchain technology be used to vote?
Around the world, decisions made on many of society's problems are decided through voting processes. Polling stations have been around for thousands of years and have allowed us to hear the voices of millions of people. However, Defi development services some drawbacks of this method have become increasingly apparent.
Problems with current voting systems:
Technical issues: false protocols, violations of the secrecy of the process, calculation errors and even slow vote counts are the main drawbacks of current voting systems.
Social problems: the potential for bribery and corruption. Elections that have been rigged or hacked are a very common story, and this has created an environment of mistrust around elections.
High expense: the entire electoral process is very long and expensive.
Accessibility: Voting in person is generally required; This brings with it many challenges for people who are abroad or who do not have access to a polling station.
To solve some of these problems, electronic voting was introduced in the 1960s. Although other complications arose with this method as a result of software bugs, problems verifying results, and security issues, as computers can be hacked. In some countries where electronic voting was initially used, they chose to return to the traditional voting method.
With all these issues related to the current way of voting, is this where blockchain technology can step forward to provide a solution?
The fundamental characteristics of blockchain technology in terms of complete transparency, accuracy and immutability highlight the potential benefits that could greatly improve the entire electoral process.
Advantages of using blockchain technology in electoral processes:
Cost -effective and efficient: The traditional voting and counting process is slow and laborious. The decentralized nature of the blockchain allows the results to be visible across the country and removes the organizational difficulties of processing the data.
Recordkeeping: All data is copied to network nodes using Distributed Ledger Technology . There are no focal points for cyber attacks, and information cannot be lost.
Security and anonymity: each voter will create public and private keys, Defi development company and the data will be placed in time-stamped encrypted blocks that cannot be changed; it is possible that blockchain could restore trust to the voting system around the world.
Accessibility: The use of blockchain-based voting applications allows people to cast their vote anywhere in the world. Voting is more convenient and accessible for people who cannot visit a polling place (for example, people with disabilities or those who live in countries where elections can be events characterized by violence). This could help increase voter registration in many demographic groups.
Examples of voting using blockchain technology:
This private blockchain can be controlled by a trusted party like the government. Voters register to use the app, which links to a list of identification documents to verify the user. When votes are cast, the node counts the vote instantly.
Voatz, a private mobile voting app, aims to make voting accessible to everyone. Voatz was created by Nimit Sawhney, who won the 2014 SXSW Hackathon thanks to this concept. At this point, more than 80,000 votes have been cast through the platform. During 2018, West Virginia allowed 144 foreign voters to cast their ballots through Voatz. In 2019, Denver, Colorado, and Utah County were able to cast overseas votes during elections.
The most recent and significant use of a blockchain voting system was during September 2019 in Moscow, Russia, for the city council election. Due to concerns about the system not being set up correctly, only three cities allowed people to use the blockchain-based app to cast their votes. The evidence showed an increase in electoral participation; however, technical problems prevented some citizens from voting.
Voting process:
The legitimacy of the outcomes : The consequences of the democratic couldn't be adulterated. Whenever you can check the number of votes that were projected toward the start of casting a ballot and the number of are included in the count. All votes (substantial or clear) are known while counting.
Straightforwardness of the interaction : 'blockchain' offers the chance to control the cycle and in any event, for every individual to be aware consistently - by entering the empowered stage with their passwords-that their vote has been projected and counted. Enrollment and control is absolute.
Protection and secrecy : as it is a decentralized instrument, decentralized finance (Defi) development services company nobody with the exception of the resident will understand what they have decided in favor of, from where or when they have made it happen.
Speed in the count : on account of the decentralization that the 'blockchain' permits, the consequences of the vote all through the nation will be counted naturally, whether or not they have been given at the public, commonplace or city level.
Cost and faculty reserve funds : Like any cycle that moves from the simple world to the computerized world, it would assist with saving expenses because of investment funds in sending polling forms, citizen versatility, opening of casting a ballot places and counting staff.
In conclusion, blockchain-based proof of voting is on the rise all over the world. However, some complications remain to be resolved to ensure a future in which the public can trust the election results.
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