Now, the first Japanese city to test a voting system which incorporates blockchain technology is Tsukuba.
Incorporation of blockchain technology into voting systems
From West Virginia to Switzerland, the establishment of blockchain technology into voting systems created a buzz. Now, Tsukuba is the first Japanese city that continues the trend.
As Japan Times posted, a new online voting system which incorporates the technology of blockchain was introduced to let citizens vote for different social contribution projects proposals.
Project proposals actually included the creation of a new cancer diagnostic technology, the introduction of a mystery solving game for cheap entertainment, and the construction of a system in order to help manage outdoor sporting competitions.
The new voting platform was primarily based around the "My Number" identification system of Japan, which actually gives all residents in the country a 12-digit identification number.
The Japan officials hope that this is going to make administrative processes easier while cutting down crimes such as tax evasion. On the other hand, some of the citizens are worried that the whole concept erodes their sense of essential privacy.
It is not always a seamless process
Tsukuba Mayor Tatsuo Igarashi noted that casting his vote with the new system was rather easy, despite the worries that it is going to involve more complicated procedures.
But, the system was not without some hiccups.
But, the system was not without some hiccups.
Citizens had the ability to vote by computer after letting a card reader scan their My Number card while blockchain has been incorporated to help safeguard the voting information from fraud. However, some said that it was difficult to see if a vote has been counted.
Despite some of the problems which were seen in Tsukuba, the blockchain-based voting process was catching on as more and more locales all over the worlds start to experiment.
Making history with blockchain voting systems
The town Zug in Switzerland made headlines this summer after it completed a trial of the blockchain-based voting system. Dieter Muller, the city communication chief said that the first test was a successful one, as those that chose to participate found the actual voting process to be relatively simple.
About one month earlier, investors at the annual general meeting of Santander Bank also had the ability to cast votes through a blockchain-based system.
In March this year, West Virginia tested out a blockchain-based mobile voting application. The idea actually was to give out-of-state military personnel a way to vote to vote in elections easily quickly.
The Secretary of State of Virginia teamed up with Boston-based startup Voatz to make the application available for qualified personnel.
There was one moment in which purported blockchain-verified voting was merely fake news. Initial reports out of Sierra Leone in March this year said that officials worked with blockchain startup Agora to confirm votes in one region of the country.
The National Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone then fired back, writing about their use of an in-house database in order to compile election results. The Commission has said that blockchain was not utilized in any part of the electoral process.
No comments:
Post a Comment