AUBURN, AL- Citizens of West Virginia currently serving in our military overseas now have the option of casting a ballot using a blockchain-enabled voting app for the critical mid-term elections.
West Virginia will be one of the more watched states around the country due to a somewhat competitive U.S. Senate race.
The app was created by a Boston-based company, Voatz, and has already been tested in two counties with four independent audits.
State officials are excited about the new avenue for military voting. “There is nobody that deserves the right to vote any more than the guys that are out there, and the women that are out there, putting their lives on the line for us,” West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner told CNN last month.
Interestingly, the effort is being funded by a philanthropy firm founded by venture capitalist Bradley Tusk. “Democracy would work a lot better if more people can vote,” he told Metro News, a West Virginia outlet. “I personally would love to see a world one day where everyone can vote securely on their phone.”
West Virginia is the first state to attempt voting via blockchain, and there are many with security concerns. As such, the results of this new program will likely be heavily scrutinized in the days, weeks, and months following the election.
Voters who choose to will still be able to use a paper absentee ballot.
For more information, see https://slate.com/technology/2018/09/west-virginia-blockchain-voting-app-midterm-elections.html.
What do you think? Is this a positive innovation that will empower more voting? Should it be limited to overseas military voters? Or, are you more concerned with the potential security flaws? Join the conversation at: https://www.facebook.com/takebackorg/.
