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In any democratic country, conducting elections is very challenging for many reasons. Everyone must vote to elect representatives fairly, but this will never happen because voters need to legally identify themselves. A person can only prove his identity by possessing appropriate documents. Many people living below the poverty line do not have any documents on their names to prove their identity. Lack of documentation is only one of the problems. Other reasons, such as being unable to go to their town or city to vote due to work or study-related commitments, are also common.
Compared with paper voting systems, the use of electronic voting machines improves the voting process itself to some extent. However, there are still many controversies surrounding the process itself, which is beyond the scope of this article. Generally speaking, the election will follow the following process: voters go to the polling station, prove themselves to the officials by presenting relevant documents, enter the electronic voting machine, and then press the button to vote. Paper ballots still exist in many places, and many people think they are much safer than electronic voting machines. Paper ballots and electronic voting machines involve several intermediaries in the entire process, so they can easily be tampered with. Why is there no direct democracy where people can directly vote on important decisions? A voting system based on blockchain can answer this question.
Blockchain is a database of records distributed globally by a network of nodes, facilitating peer-to-peer transactions in a secure and verifiable manner. Each block contains data about the transaction and identity of the previous block (link), thus creating a set of immutable data. Since the entire blockchain is distributed, tampering with a copy will cause the network to reject the copy. Another basic concept is a smart contract, which is similar to an agreement that you set up specific terms to be executed under specific conditions. By using the blockchain to handle the voting process, the idea of direct democracy may become a reality. The three main principles of elections are accurate identification, secure voting, and credible vote counting. In addition, voting should be open to everyone, and it should be auditable by the authorities.
Relevant departments can develop based on Blockchain technologyCitizens can download the app, verify their phone number, provide photo ID and selfies. Facial recognition will determine whether the ID matches the person. In addition, citizens also need to register their biometric information. The registration process can be offline, personally linking it to national identity. Citizens can use fingerprint-based authentication to log in to the application; alternatively, they can set 6-bit or 8-bit pins on old devices. After registration, a digital identity will be provided, which can be a combination of your national identity, biometrics, date of birth, phone specific details, and digital activity.
An indirect benefit of using biometrics to verify the identity of voters is to avoid storing sensitive personal information or files in a central database. The vast majority of the population in any developing country can use mobile devices, but they may not be able to obtain the appropriate documents required by the electoral authorities. Using blockchain-based methods, the number of citizens eligible to vote has increased significantly. The entire voting process can be conducted through the app itself, which means that people who cannot reach the election booth can still vote. Since the blockchain is distributed, there is almost no risk of tampering with the counting mechanism. In addition, smart contracts can automate the counting process.
Although proceed Use blockchain for elections It seems feasible, but to make it a reality, more needs to be considered. The preliminary concepts mentioned here may also have technical or regulatory loopholes, which require further study. In large democracies such as India and the United States, even if everyone has a mobile device, it may not be possible for everyone to register for the application. Even with the use of blockchain technology, direct democracy seems to have a long way to go.In the next few years, with more developments in this field, with Government and public sector organizations adopting blockchain, Voting, and elections may be a completely online process, and everyone will vote for every policy that a country decides to implement.
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