Recently there were two legislative elections and one local body election in India. Although there were fewer allegations of electronic voting machine (EVM) tampering in this election, the vulnerability of EVMs to hacking has always been a point of contention for the losing side.
So what can make elections more transparent? The use of blockchain technology to make the election process more transparent is now being discussed globally. In October, it was reported that Greenland was exploring the possibility of an online voting platform, possibly based on blockchain, Cointelegraph reported. Last month, South Korea announced the creation of an online voting system based on blockchain technology, becoming the first country to do so. The new voting system will securely and electronically store the process and result of a ballot in a blockchain, preventing document forgery or alteration, according to media reports.
Similar discussions are now taking place in India, the world’s largest democracy.
Can Blockchain make voting more transparent?
Blockchain is a distributed database that is secure and tamper-proof. According to blockchain experts, this makes it an ideal technology for voting, as it will provide a transparent and secure way to record and count votes. “There have been several pilot projects using blockchain voting in India and the results have been promising,” says Lokesh Rao, co-founder and CEO, Trace Network Labs.
Rao further noted that one of the biggest benefits of blockchain voting is that it will help reduce the incidence of voter fraud. “Currently, there are many ways that votes can be tampered with or manipulated. With blockchain, each vote would be recorded securely and could not be changed. This would make it much more difficult for someone to rig the system,” he said.
Are there other benefits?
Transparency through blockchain voting can also help increase voter turnout. With blockchain, people will be able to see that their vote is being counted accurately and that their voice is being heard. This can lead to more people taking part in the democratic process.
“Blockchain provides a secure and transparent way to store data, which is critical to ensuring the accuracy and integrity of voting systems. Furthermore, blockchain can help improve voter turnout by making it easier for people to register to vote and to track their votes, says Sagar Vishnoi, independent political campaigner and strategist.
Experts believe that another potential use case for blockchain voting is the auditing of results. This can be done by checking the blockchain to see that all the votes have been correctly registered and that the correct candidate has been elected. This will be a quick and easy way to ensure the accuracy of the results.
In India, blockchain-based voting has already been tested for Telangana’s municipal elections in 2021. This pilot showed that the technology can work and that it can help improve the voting process. However, more pilots are needed to fully assess the potential of blockchain in voting.
Experts believe that blockchain voting is still in its early stages, and there are many challenges that need to be resolved before it can be implemented nationwide.
