When someone mentions crypto you most likely think of bitcoin. However, crypto goes beyond just a digital currency, as it has the potential to revolutionize data collection and storage as we know it. Take for example the Canadian government’s experimentation with the Ethereum blockchain to log the spending habits of the National Research Council. With blockchain technology, backroom deals and corruption will become increasingly difficult to achieve as all information will be publicly accessible on the ledger.

There is one politician in California who hopes to take this concept to the next level. Forde, the former head of MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative, plans to bring blockchain technology right to the doorstep of the highest authority, the White House. Should Forde win the 45th Congressional seat in the District of California, he will be in an excellent position to accelerate blockchain adoption in government.

Under Forde’s proposed plan, public sentiment on policies will be kept on the blockchain. The days of calling your local representative or writing a letter will become a thing of the past. Constituents will be able to instantly and effortlessly have their voices documented on an incorruptible public domain.

Politicians will no longer be able to feign ignorance on votes that go against their riding’s wishes as they will be publicly accessible on the blockchain. Whether or not politicians are swayed by public sentiment is another issue altogether, however the key point to take away is that transparency in government can significantly improve with blockchain technology.

The current method of tracking a politician’s riding is outdated at best, with the public calling, emailing, mailing and faxing in their concerns. This information is then collected by an employee who manually tallies the public’s positions. This method is not only slow, but also prone to human error. Blockchain technology will allow us to document the public record efficiently and autonomously.

Regardless of your political perspective, you would most likely agree that the government makes decisions at a snail’s pace, especially when it involves something an aging congress does not fully understand. The generation gap between lawmakers and today’s tech was made painfully clear during the Zuckerberg testimony, where countless politicians failed to understand basic concepts such as how Facebook made money.

If Forde is elected, it is possible he will be able to inject fresh and educated opinions about crypto into Washington. Forde has already expressed interest as acting as an intermediary between private blockchain corporations and government bodies such as the SEC.

Educating lawmakers and the public on the untapped potential of blockchain technology is going to be a challenge as people are resistant to things they do not understand. However if the crypto community comes together to support decision makers like Forde, our push for mainstream crypto adoption can be made just a little easier with allies in Washington.