How Can Blockchain be used for Election Ballots?

• Toshendra Kumar Sharma
• February 28, 2018

Blockchain seems to be making news every other day. This revolutionary technology has become a hot selling cake, and the reason is its versatility. One technology with so many features which can be useful for multiple niches- this is blockchain for you. Well, our focus of discussion in this blog is going to be about its application in the voting system.

It might amaze some of you but, let me break the ice; there are many startups which are taking initiatives and are trying to come up with a solution which can help in making the election system more transparent.

Major problems with current election system?

Let’s admit the fact that we all have doubted the general elections at some point and the fury regarding the lack of transparency in the voting system. Let’s take a quick view of some of the problems that we are facing with the current election system:

• Lack of transparency
• Hacking of political party’s emails
• Use of archaic voting machines
• Auditability of votes
• Accessibility
• Security of votes

These are some of the major problems that we are facing on a global front. Elections form the basis of a nation. It is the key driving force for a democratic nation. Thus, diciness of the very same system emerges as a big problem. It not only infiltrates the trust in the system but also creates an environment of mistrust amongst the people. Thus, there is a need for a system which can be helpful in quicking the pace of work without hampering the efficiency of the system.  Additionally, we need tools and devices which can enhance the transparency.

The growth of online and modern voting system :

The election system has traveled a long way, from the use of paper ballot to EVM machines, we have seen some great technological transformation in the system. The reason behind any change is to create a system which is more efficient and can deliver the best result. The same rule applies to election system as well.  Experts are eyeing Blockchain to be the key driving force in the age-old election system.

The rising unrest amongst the citizen and the political parties regarding the vote counting has given rise to the need for a system which can illustrate in detail about the votes and whom did it go. We have become used to live in an environment where we order the product online and keep a check on the entire process of delivery. People now want to know whether the person for they voted, their vote went to him. Although, the current system is transport but enhancing this factor will further help in building trust amongst the people. Here comes the role of the Blockchain.

Why Blockchain?

As proposed by its experts, Blockchain is an elixir for the business operation, ranging from supply chain to voting. Its multitude of features has made people think about its application in this domain. Here is a quick look at the features offered by it :

• Transparent system
• Distributed ledger
• Decentralized system
• Immutable

Data stored in chronological order which is impossible to delete
If you have thought that this is just the beginning, then let me tell you that currently, Blockchain is a whirlwind which is affecting every aspect of the business.  Currently, there are 23 nations which are using the online voting system.

How will blockchain help in e-voting?

The biggest problem that surrounds the current voting system is the transparency. Whether it is India or the US, transparency is the key problem. With the help of blockchain, we can resolve this issue. Casting the votes as a transaction, we can have a Blockchain which has all record of tallies of votes.

With the current voting system we have the problem of vote allocation and counting, but in case of the Blockchain, we have an open ledger which is visible to the public and hence, making everything auditable.

Another key feature of Blockchain is decentralization. This feature hinders the acts of any change, and in case there is the other people also known as nodes can reject it. It is how it works:

Suppose there is an update or change made in the system; it is then passed on to the other nodes for validation. Since Blockchain is decentralized when the node submits an update, all the other nodes can see it, and they can reject it. Thus, we have unaltered data in front of us.

E-voting using blockchain –

The process is very simple, being with downloading the app. Then you need to authorize and authenticate. This is done by submitting your details. After this, you can cast your vote, and the information gets stored in the blockchain ballot box. Several computers are managing this box. These computers are known as nodes in the blockchain system. The remaining process of counting the vote is the same; the only difference is that you can audit it and tally whether the counting is right or not.

The Future

Although this sounds amusing and interesting as of now, many questions are surrounding the same. The most one is, if things become public then everyone can see who voted for whom which will hamper the democratic process. Thus, it’s possible that e-voting might not receive the approval of all the people in the system. Furthermore, the technology is at a nascent stage, and nothing is 100 percent full-proof. Thus, there is a probability that the system might get hacked.

These questions still need to be answered, although, there are many Blockchain-based companies which are promising a completely safe and secure system, we still have to see how things shape up in the future.

For now, we can say that Blockchain is an emerging technology which holds a promising future. If we can sync it with the current election system, there is a probability that we come up with a transparent election system.