Utah County takes blockchain-based voting
Utah county takes after Colorado AND West Virginia in the adoption of blockchain-based voting. Utah,in a press release on July 23, has publicly declared that it will provide a blockchain-based voting system to allow prospective voters partake in the forthcoming municipal primary election. The voting will take place through a mobile app that screens eligible voters and confirms their identities via a biometric process.
Therefore, Utah becomes the 3rd state in the US to implement this electronic system of voting.
UTAH ELECTIONS: BLOCKCHAIN-PROPELLED VOTING PILOT CONTINUES TILL AUGUST 13
Various parties are involved in the establishment of the electronic voting process in Utah. They include; Utah County Election Divisions, Voatz, National Cybersecurity Centre, and Tusk Philanthropies. Some of these bodies were also involved in the adoption of the process in Colorado and West Virginia.
According to reports, voting has commenced as at June 28, and the process will continue until August 13, which is the day of the election. The pilot voters will include members of the armed forces, their eligible families, and oversea citizens.
In March 2019, Colorado followed suit in the adoption of the blockchain voting process; Below is a brief report of the first state to adopt the voting process in 2018.
West Virginia To Adopt Blockchain-Enabled Voting in The Forthcoming Election
West Virginia inscribed their name on the US book of history as the first state that would adopt blockchain-based voting in an election. It carried out this project via a pilot program. The pilot program is a collaborative project carried out by the office of West Virginia’s secretary of state, New America, Blockchain Trust Accelerator (BTA), and Tusk/Montgomery Philanthropies.
The success of the project signifies that all members of the military or security forces serving the country will vote regardless of their present location.
The mobile app, developed by Voatz, a firm located in Boston, works based on a technology that enables user interaction based on a biometrically approved identity. It will allow individuals to vote from any location without any bias or lack of limpidity, which will, in turn, encourage higher participation in the voting process. All appreciation to blockchain and its unalterable public ledger that rules-out any form of error.
Mac Werner, the secretary of state, reaffirmed trust in the process and is sure that it will put an end to the cumbersome conventional method of voting. “Bringing the electioneering process right at the doorstep of our patriots who are serving the country in various locations of the world must take precedence,” Said Werner on assumption of office as the secretary.
“Our military men are out there in different parts of the world, putting their lives on the line for the safety and progress of our country. We have to ensure that they partake in the democratic process, just like any other citizen.” “Regardless of their location, they deserve to partake in a process that determines who rules or represents their interests.”
He further reiterated, “Our state has pioneered the process, and we are happy to develop an electronic blockchain-based voting system that is safe, precise, and all-inclusive.”
