Blockchain
Patrick Bet-David says blockchain voting can improve election transparency
Patrick Bet-David, founder and CEO of Valuetainment, says blockchain can significantly improve voting systems around the world.
With the world changing so much between artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and Bitcoin, Bet-David wonders if new technology is what the world needs to improve the outdated voting process. It’s not just about improving voting systems in terms of transparency and accessibility, but also about getting more people to develop trust in these elections and their results.
The businessman shared his thoughts in a YouTube video. Highlighting blockchain as “a shared immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets across an enterprise network,” Bet-David says these characteristics are what make the technology suitable for application in blockchain voting.
American states piloted blockchain voting
To be honest, the issue of blockchain technology and voting is not a new topic. Researchers and experts have already explained how countries can integrate it more effectively. This has happened in the context of broader integration in virtually every aspect of human life, from education, to supply chains, to healthcare and agriculture.
It is this growth that has seen some US states pilot blockchain voting systems.
For example, West Virginia became the first US state to use blockchain voting through a pilot project for federal elections. A publicly verifiable registry that still maintains voter anonymity is key to this push into blockchain technology.
In his opinion, Bet-David believes this is the way to go.
Unlike a decentralized ledger that records votes, immutability means that each cryptographically signed vote “cannot be altered without detection.”
In addition to West Virginia, other US states that have experimented with blockchain voting systems include Utah, Colorado, and Oregon.
“In Denver, Colorado, one of the pilot programs allowed foreign voters and active duty military personnel to vote in municipal elections through a blockchain-based smartphone app,” Bet-David noted.
A Utah voter also became the first person to vote for president on the blockchain. Meanwhile, blockchain-based voting apps have worked in Switzerland, Japan, Brazil, South Korea and Russia.
Problems with blockchain voting
While it supports the use of blockchain to enable transparency and accessibility in elections, Bet-David notes that implementing the technology faces some challenges.
Critics have highlighted concerns such as technical and security issues, including scalability and cyber attacks. There are also legal and regulatory hurdles, particularly around voter anonymity and privacy. US states that have expressed concern and are uncomfortable with the system include New York, California and Texas.
But with trust in the US government down from 73% in 1958 to around 16% today, it may be new technology that engages younger generations.