Images from Arizona in 2016 showed lines of people waiting up to five hours to vote in just a primary election. Much of this had to do with the closing of voting locations to reduce costs, and some may contend that it was due to more people coming out to vote for certain candidates. Either way, the reality of this shows that in a time of technological advancement that includes self-driving cars, it seems there must a better way of voting than the way it’s being handled today.

Many in the Bitcoin and blockchain world believe voting technology advancements can and will provide a new method of voting that is more secure, easier, and will allow for more people to perform their basic civic duty.

How Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology Can Help

The thought of bitcoin as a way to change the way we vote was considered during the early days of the new technology. In 2012, computer scientists in Canada were looking to exploit the capabilities of Bitcoin as “a form of ‘carbon dating’ for digital information and something that would make electronic voting more secure.”

Jeremy Clark and Aleksander Essex were computer scientists from Ontario-based universities who saw the potential for Bitcoin and blockchain technology to enhance the ability to secure and validate the voting process. Their method was called CommitCoin, and it provided a way to utilize blockchain technology to secure a person’s vote and not allow any election official or political individual to change a vote.

Blockchain-Related Voting System Startups

Among the startups that followed in an attempt to build upon the blockchain infrastructure to create a secure voting system was a Virginia-based company called FollowMyVote. Adam Ernest, the company's CEO, stated that “there is a common misconception that voting cannot be done online in a secure way. However, the introduction of blockchain technology is changing the conversation.”

His company creates a voting system that ensures that a vote is recorded one time (through the use of a token) for the specific candidate they want (placed into the candidate’s “wallet”) and permanently recorded on the blockchain.

Another company working on creating a platform that uses blockchain technology to replace or enhance the current voting methods used today is BitCongress, which released a White Paper on its approach. The company uses the blockchain technology with a token-based system to control the voting system, ensuring one person matches with one unchangeable vote. This token is called a VOTE, and by using the blockchain to record each vote permanently, it ensures that there can be no manipulation of those votes or voting twice.

The company has also built-in additional capabilities that allow for people to voice their opinions on various topics, enhancing the “voice of the people” approach of the app.