Democracy in the Digital Age: The Rise of Mobile Voting
Do Blockchain-based Elections Tick All the Right Boxes?
Blockchains are immutable, secure databases — ready-made systems for tracking and tallying important information. These ledgers are ideal for building new kinds of customer rewards programs and streamlining supply chains, but one little-discussed use case with brilliant potential for large-scale societal impact is voting.
Given the way blockchain technology works, you would think that building better voting systems was its original purpose. Voting issues have plagued political systems for as long as voting has been permitted, and so common are the instances of election fraud that we almost take it for granted that people embedded in power structures will try to game the system.
In this issue, Bankless Consulting’s co-founder Chuck Cummings writes that blockchain technology can be leveraged to create truly free and fair elections that are transparent, secure, and accurate. In addition, this technology can expand the voter base. “Mobile voting has the potential to expand democratic participation. Imagine if every eligible voter — regardless of their location, physical ability, or work schedule — could cast their vote on Election Day using their smartphone.”
There are many barriers to creating these better election systems, but as people and organizations become familiar with blockchain technology, they may come to realize that “mobile voting could play a significant role in inclusive and accessible democracy.”
Democracy in the Digital Age: The Rise of Mobile Voting
Author: Chuck Cummings, Bankless Consulting Co-founder
At the core of democracy is participation, yet many U.S. citizens have difficulty participating in the electoral process due to barriers such as long lines or limited hours at polling stations, registration hurdles, or physical disabilities. In our modern, technologically advanced world, there should be a solution that makes voting more accessible while respecting the security concerns that arise from easier access to the ballot box.
Enter mobile voting, a blockchain-powered technology that brings the power of voting into the palm of your hand.
Why Do We Need Mobile Voting?
Mobile voting has the potential to expand democratic participation. Imagine if every eligible voter — regardless of their location, physical ability, or work schedule — could use their smartphone to cast their vote on Election Day. This would surely increase voter turnout.
I’d like to think that increased voter participation in local, state, and national elections would produce political leaders who better represent the interests of the general electorate, rather than pandering to their own highly-energized base of supporters. Leaders who speak for the middle, rather than the fringes, could help reduce political polarization and increase sound governance.
Mobile voting could be great for society, but it would be a dramatic change from our current electronic and paper-based ballots.
Let’s dig into how this technology works and what is preventing it from catching on.
How Does Mobile Voting Work?
With blockchain-based mobile voting, users can register and cast votes securely from any device with an internet connection. This system eliminates the need for election officials to manually count and verify votes. Instead, blockchain’s distributed ledger technology and encryption algorithms ensure vote-count accuracy and transparency while preserving voter privacy.
In such a scenario, a citizen’s first step is to authenticate their identity using multifactor authentication. The software uses several layers of security such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) user authentication protocols, device verification processes, biometric analysis (iris scanning/fingerprinting), facial recognition software, digital signature validation mechanisms, data encryption methods (AES 256), blockchain ledger technology (Ethereum) and advanced analytics techniques (machine learning).
This seems like a lot of onboarding but we can think of it as a stringent digital ID check, similar to setting up a banking app, but with added layers of verification for document scanning, liveness detection (dead people aren’t allowed to vote, after all), and biometrics.
Once a voter's identity is confirmed, they are able to vote, and each vote cast is recorded as a unique transaction on the blockchain. This ledger is immutable — meaning that once the data (in this case, the vote) is recorded on Ethereum, it cannot be altered — which provides a high level of security.
Moreover, because copies of the ledger are stored across multiple nodes, there's no single point of failure that could compromise the integrity of the vote. It’s not like a database that you can hack by stealing someone’s password. The distributed nature of the blockchain brings transparency to the process, as any changes to the ledger must be validated by multiple blockchain guardians (called “nodes” in crypto jargon). If a change to the ledger is proposed, all of the guardians can see it. If the proposed change is fraudulent, guardians can prevent it from being recorded on the ledger.
After casting their vote, voters are issued a digital receipt. This is not just an “I voted” sticker; it is an auditable record of the exact date and time of the vote. This verification adds another layer of trust to the process.
In essence, mobile voting aims to make the voting process more secure, verifiable, and accessible to all.
A company called Voatz has been pioneering this technology since 2014. You can learn more about their application in this Early podcast interview with their founder.
It seems pretty straightforward, but will people feel comfortable enough to adopt such a change? Will elections authorities trust that the technology does what it is supposed to do?
Let’s explore what happens when this aspirational technology meets the real world.
What Are the Barriers to Adoption?
Despite the potential benefits of mobile voting, there are challenges to widespread adoption. Elections are a fundamentally important process in our society. Any hint of vulnerability could undermine public confidence in the process as well as cast doubt on the results of the election.
The biggest concern is, of course, data security. Although mobile voting applications use the blockchain — a technology optimized for security — there are valid worries about hacking and the potential for foreign interference.
Trust is another barrier. People are familiar with polling stations and absentee paper ballots. Change can be unsettling. Even though the mobile application allows voters to verify that their vote was received, will they trust the new technology? Will people willingly share biometric information with a mobile application that records their votes in public elections? It’s not hard to imagine how things could go wrong for me if my name, an image of my face, and details of the candidate I supported in 2020 were to fall into the wrong hands.
Finally, there's the regulatory landscape. Some lawmakers are wary of electronic voting, and there have been attempts to ban it. These legal and regulatory challenges could slow down the adoption of mobile voting.
Will Mobile Voting Catch On?
As technology continues to advance, it's possible that mobile voting could play a significant role in inclusive and accessible democracy. As with any significant change, it will take time, testing, and a great deal of public discussion. While mobile voting presents an innovative way to increase democratic participation, it has several hurdles to overcome.
Chuck Cummings is building Bankless Consulting’s social impact practice to help organizations implement web3 technology for real world impact. He also serves as the Strategic Advisor to the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland. Chuck lives in Baltimore and likes to ride his bike.
🎙️ Early Podcast
A Podcast About Web3 Business from Bankless Consulting
Early Ep. 16 Sergio Ariza: From Government to DAO Governance
Sergio is a strategy buff with a passion for design and a knack for solving business puzzles. Once an aspiring political analyst, he discovered the joy of strategy and facilitation and has since worked on political campaigns, non-profit projects, startups, and even started his own design studio. Over the past four years, Sergio has been exploring the web3 universe, helping businesses to leverage blockchain technology and create sustainable, resilient communities.
At Bankless Consulting, Sergio has orchestrated remote workshops with up to 20 participants, designed decision-making frameworks, and conducted intricate tokenized governance experiments.
In this episode, Sergio discusses his obsession with a bottom-up governance protocol called JokeDAO, which rewards participants for voting ‘correctly’. He sees potential in using this kind of incentive structure at a larger scale to encourage more participation in democratic processes.
If you enjoyed the episode with Sergio, make sure to check out the next episode with JokeDAO’s CEO!
Early Ep. 17 David Phelps - JokeDAO and Beyond: The Future of On-Chain Decision-Making
David Phelps is CEO of JokeDAO, a platform that facilitates on-chain contests and decision making. In this episode, he highlights the importance of investing in blockchain infrastructure, and use cases that address the needs and desires of regular individuals in the web3 world. He mentions projects like ZKTech, Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol from Cosmos, the Arweave Ecosystem, and the potential of web3 social media platforms that allow users to own and control their data across different platforms. David also shares his thoughts on the development of DAO governance, acknowledging the current challenges while expressing optimism for future improvements.
Throughout the episode, David shares personal anecdotes, adding a lighthearted touch to the conversation. Overall, this episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of blockchain technology, its potential applications, and the evolving landscape of the web3 world.
Web3 Business Developments
Curated News on Recent Blockchain Adoption and Innovation
Crypto Already Visible at Formula One Events. Now Cue NFT Tickets
Author: Ben Strack
🔑 Insights: This year’s Formula One season is off to the races and a breakthrough NFT ticketing system is revving up the fan experience. Platinium Group, in collaboration with Elemint and Bary, is launching an NFT ticketing initiative at the Monaco Grand Prix — transforming tickets into unforgeable digital keepsakes. This innovative step not only fuels the growing momentum of NFTs in the ticketing industry but also solidifies Formula One as a leader in the realm of blockchain technology.
NFTs offer significant benefits for businesses and fans, including:
Anti-counterfeiting: NFTs can drastically reduce ticket fraud and counterfeiting risks, thanks to the unique, non-reproducible nature of blockchain technology.
New Revenue Streams: NFT tickets, serving as unique, verifiable digital memorabilia, can unlock new revenue streams by appealing to fans' willingness to pay for collectible items tied to their favorite events or teams.
Enhanced Fan Engagement: NFTs can offer additional experiences like post-event activities or future ticket discounts, which can boost fan engagement and strengthen brand loyalty.
Creating and Tracking the Secondary Market: blockchain's transparency allows businesses to track a ticket's lifecycle, providing valuable insights into ticket resales and offering opportunities to profit from secondary market sales.
“The ticketing platform combines the robust security of Ethereum with the forge-proof uniqueness of NFTs to enhance ticket authenticity and prevent counterfeiting while providing fans with lasting digital mementos.”
Urvit Goel, Head of Global Business Development at Polygon Labs
Coinbase to Air Multiple Ads on CBS’s Face the Nation, Wants to Reach Policymakers and DC Insiders
Author: James Cirrone
🔑 Insights: Setting its sights on policy makers, Coinbase has launched a strategic nationwide ad campaign to drive home the importance of cryptocurrency in the future economic landscape. The campaign's debut on CBS's Face the Nation illuminated the transformative potential of crypto, its real-world applications, and the need for proactive regulatory engagement.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong warned about the risk of the U.S. falling behind in this advancing field, and emphasized:
The Need for Regulatory Clarity: the urgent need for definitive regulatory guidelines around cryptocurrencies, particularly regarding the classification of digital assets as securities.
The Impact on Competitiveness: the potential for the U.S. to be left behind in the global crypto market due to lack of proactive policy engagement, impacting national technological competitiveness and security.
Crypto as a Financial Tool: the role of cryptocurrencies in revolutionizing international remittances and significantly reducing costs, thereby disrupting traditional financial systems.
Direct Payment for Artists: the prospect of cryptocurrencies facilitating direct payments for artists from fans, introducing new policy considerations around intellectual property and creator revenue.
“What I fear is that we’re going to be sitting here in five or 10 years, and we’re going to come back to crypto and think about it like we did with 5G or semiconductors, and say, ‘Wow, now it’s a matter of national security that we get it brought back on shore.”
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong
World Economic Forum Thinks It Knows How to Fix Crypto Policy
Author: Sebastian Sinclair
🔑 Insights: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released a white paper titled Pathways to the Regulation of Crypto-Assets, which provides recommendations to enhance global crypto policy and better protect markets and investors. The WEF warns that the current patchwork of regulations across jurisdictions could pose a threat to global financial stability.
The WEF emphasized the need for standardization of crypto regulations, policies, and definitions to prevent problems of regulatory arbitrage. The report also highlights potential concentration risks in the crypto industry, such as the dominance of certain stablecoin issuers and the widespread use of Ethereum technology. The paper underlines the necessity of clear regulatory frameworks to handle market abuses, competition policies, and conflicts of interest. As global crypto firms operate across multiple jurisdictions, the WEF, echoing sentiments from regulators like Dubai's Financial Services Authority, calls for collective regulatory action to curb exploitation of loopholes.
Harmonized Regulatory Framework: the WEF calls for a globally harmonized regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies to prevent regulatory arbitrage across different jurisdictions.
Stakeholder Collaboration: the WEF encourages collaboration among international organizations, regional/national regulators, and the industry for the successful implementation of crypto regulations.
Risk Management: highlighting concentration risks from the dominance of certain technologies and players, the WEF advocates for regulatory and operational measures to mitigate these risks in the crypto sector.
Balancing Innovation and Regulation: the WEF stresses the importance of fostering responsible innovation in the crypto sector while also actively engaging with regulators to create supportive regulatory frameworks.
“The advent of crypto-assets and blockchain-based financial services is proving to be more about convergence than disruption of the traditional economy, banking and finance. This should be encouraged.”
Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy at Circle
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