Topic: Blockchain-based Elections? (Read 362 times)

The odds of having a Blockchain-based election are zero to none. Governments have other important things to work on, especially finance. They could launch a private blockchain network of their own in order to issue digital currencies to their citizens. It's better for them to use Blockchain tech for finance and proof of ownership, than mainstream elections. We all know that it's difficult to manipulate the Blockchain because of its transparent design. The old-fashioned way of voting will always be the choice of worldwide governments as it's much easier to rig election results. This is most suitable for organizations or companies than governments themselves. The power of smart contracts with the Ethereum blockchain opens up a world of possibilities that were never imagined before. Elections performed on a public blockchain like Ethereum are much more secure and tamper-resistant than those performed on a private ledger.

But who knows? Maybe governments find out a way to manipulate elections while bringing the convenience of Blockchain technology to voters. If everything goes full Blockchain, then I don't see a reason why this shouldn't happen in the first place. As adoption for Blockchain technology grows, governments will be able to provide services on it. But we cannot deny, that Blockchain works best when it's used for finance than anything else. Just my opinion

It’s a very cool and working idea, and most importantly simple but it’s obvious that the government, under the influence of corporations and oligarchs, will not want this or create their own notorious blockchain where they can further control everything.

They will absolutely make blockchain looks so bad just because they cannot manipulate it on their favor. Using blockchain in election will raise many issues and concern. It will be a bad idea to use something that very few in the population understand in the fate of the future society. So before  this can happen, the society must first learn, understand, and accept blockchain technology.

Well see what happens. But I doubt that governments would want to increase transparency in electoral votes by adopting Blockchain technology. They'd rather stay with the old system which is much easier to rig than migrating all the way to Bitcoin's revolutionary technology. So far, governments have only expressed their interest in Blockchain technology to transform finance. Many countries have already announced that they'll be launching their own digital currencies. But none has shown interest in integrating Blockchain technology for elections.

Which is why, Blockchain-based elections is more of a dream than anything else. After all, Bitcoin's underlying tech is a terrible idea for government elections in the mainstream world. For companies, and organizations, that's another story. Ethereum's blockchain proves to be quite versatile for launching a decentralized voting system that's fair, transparent, and much more efficient than traditional voting. This blockchain platform can be used by mainstream companies, businesses, and organizations to conduct their own internal elections in the fairest way possible. I guess that's how the future of Blockchain-based voting would be, since it proves to be highly unsuitable for government elections.

Nonetheless, there might still be a chance of governments adopting Blockchain tech for elections if they integrate privacy solutions in the voting system. Using Zero Knowledge Proofs, governments will be able to hide their utmost sensitive information, giving them the possibility of rigging elections just like they do right now. The situation is even worse when the Blockchain is centralized, as it gives the power to the hands of a few. That's the only way governments would adopt the technology for their own benefit. All in all, there are other important situations to take care about than the way how voters cast their vote within the mainstream world. Just my opinion

For citizens, it would certainly be very useful. But it is unlikely that any state will go for it. Governments always want to control everything and blockchain does not quite fit into their plans.

It's certainly a good idea.In any case, after the elections,it will not be possible to falsify them.The main thing that everything was strictly anonymous.

I think blockchain based elections will only be possible when blockchain acceptance and adoption would have become a household thing and it would have been implemented in everyday life only then i expect such elections so may be we been 10 more years to reach there.

Love the Concept!!!! I trust Blockchain way more than current system. Visibility being the biggest step forward with implementation of Blockchain. We sort of have to take their word for it right now.

That's certainly true, mate. It makes no sense to use Blockchain technology for mainstream elections, since it's virtually impossible to manipulate results. After all, Blockchain promises transparency which exposes corruption and fraud. If governments ever decide to do Blockchain-based elections, they would so in their own privately-owned system instead of a public one like Ethereum or EOS. A privately-owned blockchain is much easier to manipulate than public ones because of its centralized model. Via the use of privacy techniques (probably Mimblewimble, RingCT, or Zero Knowledge Proofs), governments will be able to hide their activities on the Blockchain doing whatever they desire.

Of course, we wouldn't call something that lacks immutability a Blockchain wouldn't we? But it could be the way to go for worldwide governments if they decide to adopt the technology for elections in the future. Still, the probability of a mainstream Blockchain-based election becoming a reality in the future is very small. Which is why, Blockchain will suit better in transforming our mainstream economy than elections themselves. Just my thoughts

Yes rigging of elections and manipulation of election results is very rampant in developing nations however would they have the political will to deploy blockchain technology for their elections? obviously no, they knew that this technology if fully deployed would enhance transparency in elections and would prevent falsification of election results which is very synonymous with those countries election.

Definitely, it would be the next step for a lot of countries, but government would never do such things, especially not democracy based countries. However, it is an awesome idea, that would make truly elections in bunch of aspects.

I think that even if we do have a more transparent voting system, the corrupt politicians and the high net worth elite will find a way to game even that system. In a world where money rules, money opens doors everywhere.

The normal person can also be bribed to vote for a certain party or president. They already believe that voting is pointless so why not sell that pointless vote and enjoy whatever the amount is that they got paid for it? They will do it.

Good point. It's evident that politicians don't want their actions to be exposed from the general public. A transparent Blockchain system would make their lives much harder. But I guess that it's possible to obfuscate activities on the Blockchain via the use of ZK-SNARKS technology. If governments use this privacy solution for their Blockchain-based elections, then it's possible to obtain secrecy within both electors and candidates alike. It's no secret that Blockchain-based elections provide a greater degree of security than traditional ones. Still, the technology is in its infancy where there are scalability bottlenecks making it unpractical for elections.

Maybe that's the #1 reason why governments don't trust Blockchain technology for digital elections. Once the tech is mature enough for the mainstream world, we might see Blockchain-based elections become a reality. I believe that the US will be among the first countries to adopt the tech for said purpose, as it's always on the forefront of technology. The experience for American voters would be amazing as they'll be able to cast their vote at the comfort of their home without fear of hacks, theft, etc. Blockchain technology's high level of security and efficiency makes digital voting a blast. For greater security, it's best to use an existing Blockchain platform (like Ethereum) rather than a privately-owned Blockchain. But, that's entirely up to governments themselves whenever they want to use either public or private chains for their own benefit.

Nonetheless, as Blockchain grows in popularity and user adoption, we'll be able to see more governments interested in the technology. Some countries worldwide have already started developing their own digital currencies. It shouldn't take long before they incorporate the tech into diverse areas like Healthcare, Transportation, and General elections. If Blockchain-based voting comes true, then physical voting would be a thing of the past. Just my thoughts

Election via blockchain is a very good idea to prevent vote fraud on one party and the results are very valid. One day we will arrive there.
But now, the problem is that the holder of a country's power will certainly not accept this outright because they are cheats in every election. Obviously the blockchain will destroy them themselves. Or they might agree but they play on the number of voters they manipulate.
On the other hand, there are still many people who are very technology-savvy so that the implementation of the blockchain in elections is very prone to fraud. In the sense of cheating on the manipulation of the number of voters.

The problem is that the parliament usually wants a presidential election through direct election by them without involving the public.
Although the blockchain can accommodate it but it will also be useless for this reason.

If you give one token to every citizen in your country, then it could work because they will be free to use it. But I am afraid that many people will "sell" their token and this will make these elections manipulated.

Sad but truth and as we can see now only few companies or banks acknowledge blockchain because the other who are against it knew that once blockchain is integrated, everything will be transparent and it will be hard for them to do their bad intentions since people will clearly see how the system works. As for the government they will do anything with their power to prevent any technology that may hinder them to take full control with elections.

The use of blockchain will definitely help curb election malpractices especially in developing nations but the question is will those governments approve its use; knowing fully well that it can jeopardize their chance for swift victory through manipulation

It certainly sounds incredibly cool, but I think the government will never approve it in the near future, as they will not be able to mix the results with those that interest them. But it sounds cool, because it is very interesting when you start to understand that the person who is interesting to everyone, and not the one who has more friends and money, will get power. 

Surely the voting has nothing to do with the internet access. You can use your private key on the voting booth and your vote is logged on the blockchain, and incentives what you gain by securing the blockchain is not really an issue, the main issue for governments in those are lack of regulations on the exchanges.