India recently held two parliamentary elections and one municipal election. While there were fewer allegations of electronic voting machine (EVM) tampering in this election, his EVM’s vulnerability to hacking has always been a point of contention for the losing side.
So how can we make elections more transparent? The use of blockchain technology to make the election process more transparent is currently being discussed around the world. In October, Cointelegraph reported that Greenland was exploring the feasibility of an online voting platform, possibly based on blockchain. Last month, South Korea became the first country to do so by announcing the installation of an online voting system based on blockchain technology. According to media reports, the new voting system will store the voting process and results securely and electronically on the blockchain, preventing document forgery and tampering.
A similar debate is now taking place in India, the world’s largest democracy.
Can blockchain make voting more transparent?
Blockchain is a secure, tamper-proof, distributed database. According to blockchain experts, this will be an ideal technology for voting as it provides a transparent and secure way to record and count votes. His Lokesh Rao, co-founder and CEO of Trace Network Labs, said:
Rao further said one of the biggest benefits of blockchain voting is that it helps reduce the incidence of voter fraud. “There are now many ways to tamper with or manipulate votes. With blockchain, each vote is securely recorded and cannot be changed. This makes it much more difficult for anyone to manipulate the system.” will be,’ he said.
Are there other benefits?
Transparency through blockchain voting could also help improve voter turnout. With blockchain, people can be sure that their votes are being counted accurately and that their voices are being heard. This could lead to more people participating in the democratic process.
“Blockchains provide a secure and transparent way to store data that is essential to ensuring the accuracy and integrity of voting systems. By making it easier to track votes, it helps improve voter turnout,” says independent political campaigner and strategist Sagar Vishnoy.
Experts believe another potential use case for blockchain voting is auditing results. This can be done by checking the blockchain to ensure that all votes were recorded correctly and the correct candidate was chosen. This is a quick and easy way to ensure the accuracy of your results.
India is already testing blockchain-based voting for the 2021 Telangana local elections. This pilot showed that the technology works and can help improve the voting process. However, more pilots are needed to fully evaluate the potential of blockchain in voting.
Experts believe blockchain voting is still in its early stages and there are many challenges that need to be addressed before it can be implemented nationwide.
