In the previous article, we discussed how Internet-based elections could increase voter participation and make elections easier to conduct. Voters would be able to access the ballot box through their home computer or phone, removing any real reason for not partaking. The problem is, however, that secure Internet voting does not yet exist. One technology that offers promise in this area is blockchain.
Blockchain is a way for computers to create an ongoing ledger of transactions, similar to bank accounting records. Instead of one person or an institution keeping the books, however, a network of computers keeps the books. The computers recognize that a transaction has been made and update a common ledger accordingly. It is automated so no institution is in charge. It is a secure, decentralized approach to accounting. This is the technology underlying bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It has also been used for tracking shipments across borders, transacting stocks, and recording deeds; and this is just the beginning. It is considered by experts to be a disruptive technology—having the power to change the way the world works.
In theory, blockchain could also be applied to elections; it could even enable internet voting. A ledger would record every vote, tracking its chain of custody from voting device through aggregation. Ballot stuffing is eliminated, chads and dimples no longer exist, and logic could ensure that all votes are counted correctly. Could elections still be manipulated? No country would roll it out unless it worked. Indeed, Estonia has been using blockchain to secure its all-electronic elections with great effect. And while a Russian blockchain voting system was recently hacked prior to a Moscow election, some believe the breach was intentional, used to convince the world that no election is safe from Russian hackers!
So, while the idea may seem fantastic today, it may not be as far off as it sounds. If blockchain is as disruptive as some predict, it could lead to a new way to execute elections, and possibly to direct democracy–a form of governance where voters decide more issues directly. Now that’s disruption.
References:
“Blockchain,” MIT Technology Review, May/June 2018.
Edward Iftody, “Why was Moscow’s Blockchain Voting System Cracked a Month Before an Election?” Medium, 22 Aug 2019, accessed 18 Dec 2019 from https://medium.com
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