Have you ever stepped inside a voting booth, submitted your choice electronically, and wondered, “Did the vote actually go through? What if a malicious party changes my vote?” Those kinds of doubts dominate discussions about election security. As voting increasingly happens via computerized equipment, cybersecurity experts often warn how it’s easier than someone may think to hack into a system and wreak havoc.
Some people wonder then, might blockchain technology bring about a more secure way for people to vote? Let’s look at that possibility.
Politicians Bringing More Visibility to the Issue
Presidential hopeful Andrew Yang increased awareness of the idea that blockchain technology could solve some voting security and convenience issues. One of the central points of his campaign centered on modernizing voting by letting people cast ballots through mobile apps, then the blockchain verifying them. The idea on its face sounds great, especially since many individuals don’t like the prospect of waiting in long lines and taking time out of their already-busy schedules.
Also, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is associated with the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, recently held a virtual roundtable[1] to assess the feasibility of allowing Senate members to vote via online means due to the crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the topics brought up were end-to-end encryption, along with a blockchain-based voting tool. The memorandum about the meeting mentioned how the blockchain could reduce instances of incorrect vote tallies by providing a tamper-free record. It also brought up how Estonia is one of the countries already using the blockchain to run entirely-online elections.
The information acknowledged, as well, that the blockchain is not a foolproof system. It discussed cryptographic errors, software bugs, and majority control of the blockchain falling into the wrong hands
