Blockchain-Based Mobile Voting Launched by Two More US Jurisdictions

In a move championing the importance of blockchain yet again, two new State Counties of the United States have launched blockchain-based mobile voting for the special elections to be held in November. 

The announcement was made on 18 October by Tusk Philanthropies, the non-profit organization that has partnered with two Oregon counties – Jackson and Umatilla – for the launch of the blockchain-based mobile voting application called Voatz.

Voatz is an innovative undertaking which would allow the eligible citizens to vote through their smartphones. The election process thus carried out would be secured by blockchain encryption and facial recognition tools.

Helping Overseas Voters

The application is also available to a handful of voters living overseas for casting their votes through the smartphone application developed by Tusk Philanthropies. The initiative is a joint venture by the platform Voatz, Tusk Philanthropies, and National Cybersecurity Centre. 

According to the Director of Umatilla County Administrative Services, Dan Lonai, the mobile application aims to increase voter turnout by involving overseas citizens who could not have participated in the election in person otherwise. 

Not the First Blockchain-Based Ballot

Before the two counties in Oregon, West Virginia had already offered mobile voting through the Voatz platform. After this, Tusk Philanthropies collaborated several times again, with Colorado, Utah County, Utah and the City of Denver for conducting blockchain-based ballots. 

According to the CEO and founder of Tusk Philanthropies, Bradley Tusk, a blockchain-based voting system not only increases voter turnout but also prevents the accumulation of power in the hands of ‘special interests’.  Other than Voatz, in 2016, the Expanse Project had already launched VoteLock, a blockchain-based voting platform. Innovations like these surely build a formidable case for blockchain which has for long divided the world, with some showing unwavering support and others seeking to nip the blockchain revolution in the bud.