U.S. Senate Introduces Blockchain Technology for Voting

Blockchain technology has appeared in the Senate memorandum as one of the solutions for voting at a time when COVID-19 disrupts the work of Congress

Written by: FIMA Plus

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the ability of the U.S. Congress to meet and consider how U.S. national legislation operates during a crisis. According to the Senate memorandum dated April 30, voting via blockchain could be part of the solution. The memorandum explains that “the COVID-19 virus has shut down major sectors of our society, including many functions of Congress,” further emphasizing: As a rule and custom, the two chambers of Congress have always met in person to conduct business, including committee discussions and voting. Neither chamber has contingency plans that would allow for the continued operation of these functions, but this crisis has prompted us to recognize the need to consider ways in which Congress could do its work at a time when members and staff may not be able to gather in person.

The memorandum outlines the advantages and disadvantages of blockchain

The subject of blockchain itself did not come up during the nearly two-hour discussion, but two fundamental areas that any applicable technology should address were highlighted: authentication and encryption. Simply put, if any technology is used for voting purposes in the Senate, it must ensure that only actual senators vote, and that hackers cannot disrupt the process.

Following a section in the memorandum that explores the use of end-to-end encryption technology for voting purposes, it states that “the Senate may consider blockchain”.

The memorandum details the advantages of blockchain: – with its encrypted distributed ledger technology, blockchain can securely transmit votes and ensure correct voting. Some have argued that these advantages make blockchain useful for electronic voting on a larger scale. Blockchain can provide a secure and transparent environment for conducting transactions without fraud and can serve as an electronic record of all votes. It also reduces the risk of misdirected votes. Moreover, some companies have already begun to apply technology similar to blockchain to help countries, such as Estonia, conduct elections entirely online.

However, the memorandum does not fully endorse the use of the technology, but also notes some risks associated with its potential implementation, such as the risk that majority control of the blockchain could fall into the wrong hands and the possibility of cryptographic flaws and software bugs.

Blockchain technology is attracting increasing attention

Discussions about voting via blockchain technology have been ongoing for years, and some decentralized protocols and communities are currently using its mechanisms for governance decision-making. However, the path to its potential application in the public sector has been thorny and has attracted the attention of critics. Nevertheless, the concept has also attracted individuals ready for change, including former U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

The discussion around voting will continue after the Senate returns to Washington this week. The very idea of remote voting remains controversial, primarily because the legislative process relies on personal contact and deliberation. Still, there is a glimmer of hope in the fact that some congress members are open to remote voting, but progress in this area is likely to be slow.

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