e-Voting Pilot Launched In Swiss City Using Ethereum-Based App

Zug, the Swiss city known for its proactive support towards the blockchain industry, launches an e-voting pilot based on blockchain technology. The entire city’s residents will use their eID system to vote using their smartphones during the trial to be held this month.

The city will allow residents to take part in a blockchain-based test as they mull whether the technology can be implemented further on a larger scale. Zug has been open to cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain technology till now and is already home to several start-ups. This is what has got the city the name “Crypto valley”.

In July last year, the city government had announced plans to use ‘uPort’, an ethereum-based application, to digitize locals’ ID information. So far, 200 residents have signed up for the service since the pilot phase started in November 2017, according to the announcement.

uPort is an open Identity platform built on the Ethereum Blockchain. According to their website, it “returns ownership of identity to the individual.” Users can register their own identity on Ethereum, send and request credentials, sign transactions, and securely manage keys & data. And all this allowed by the open identity system of the app.

The government notification added that

“Residents could get their digital ID via the website of the city of Zug and the installation of the “uPort” app and to participate in the consultative vote.”

Late last year, Nasdaq was developing an electronic shareholder voting system that is blockchain based for the South African capital markets. The system was also used by Santander for shareholder voting during this year’s annual shareholders meeting – probably a first in the world.

Blockchain technology can be potentially used in voting systems to deal with election frauds and provide immutable voting records. This use case has seen notable interest from not just the government authorities at different levels but also from the finance sector.