{"id":178852,"date":"2021-02-15T21:16:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T18:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/could-blockchain-end-bitter-vote-rigging-disputes-once-and-for-all\/"},"modified":"2021-02-15T21:16:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T18:16:00","slug":"could-blockchain-end-bitter-vote-rigging-disputes-once-and-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/could-blockchain-end-bitter-vote-rigging-disputes-once-and-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"# Could blockchain end bitter vote-rigging disputes once and for all?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26bc509398a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26bc509398a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/could-blockchain-end-bitter-vote-rigging-disputes-once-and-for-all\/#Blockchain_ballots\" >Blockchain ballots<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/could-blockchain-end-bitter-vote-rigging-disputes-once-and-for-all\/#Counting_on_blockchain\" >Counting on blockchain<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong># Could blockchain end bitter vote-rigging disputes once and for all? <\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-5a136f3a><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/freeton.org\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1480\" height=\"200\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.cointelegraph.com\/storage\/uploads\/view\/30e00dbeb807e20ac0232597ce503a01.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">From the United States to Uganda, allegations of vote rigging have become part and parcel of elections worldwide.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Some of these claims are legitimate, with strongmen leaders suppressing the will of the people in a desperate attempt to cling on to power. But in other cases, such accusations are made with little evidence. Fake videos swirl online that paint a picture of manipulation on an industrial scale \u2014 depicting a world where ballot papers are dumped in bins.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Whether true or false, even the mere suggestion of vote rigging is enough to undermine confidence in the democratic process \u2014 dividing communities and triggering violence, as we saw at the U.S. Capitol back in January.<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/morningconsult.com\/form\/tracking-voter-trust-in-elections\/\"> A recent poll<\/a> performed by Morning Consult and Politico suggested that just 33% of Republican voters now trust U.S. elections.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In this age of uncertainty, talk has inevitably turned to how blockchain can help modernize elections \u2014 amid hopes that this <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> can deliver a sense of finality to proceedings. Proponents also believe these immutable databases could also enable national votes to be run far more efficiently. We often take elections for granted, yet forget about the sheer manpower and organization that\u2019s required to ensure tens of millions of people can vote on the same day.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">But it isn\u2019t enough to just say the word \u201cblockchain\u201d and trust that the pain points in global elections can be resolved. Instead, a great deal of thought is required to determine how this technology should be <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lied. Should voters be casting their ballots electronically, meaning their choice is automatically recorded on one of these networks, or should the technology be brought in when results are being validated?<\/p>\n<p>A flurry of blockchain-based voting systems have emerged in recent years \u2014 including the likes of Votem, Voatz and Horizon State. Some have struggled to achieve adoption, while security vulnerabilities have been uncovered in others.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Blockchain_ballots\"><\/span>Blockchain ballots<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">When it comes to the prospect of voting on the blockchain itself, some academics have expressed fears that this technology might not be the silver bullet people are hoping for. A November 2020 paper from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.csail.mit.edu\/rivest\/pubs\/PSNR20.pdf\"> warned<\/a> claims that blockchain would increase election security are \u201cwanting and misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The four co-authors cast doubt on whether voting from a computer or smartphone would make the process more convenient and accessible for the public \u2014 with some studies suggesting that it might have \u201clittle to no effect on turnout in practice.\u201d They also argued that malware and denial-of-service attacks could undermine a person\u2019s ability to cast their ballot. Paper and a pen may be old fashioned, but at least it can\u2019t be commandeered by a hacker.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cOnline voting systems are vulnerable to serious failures: Attacks that are larger scale, harder to detect, and easier to execute than analogous attacks against paper-ballot-based voting systems. Furthermore, online voting systems will suffer from such vulnerabilities for the foreseeable future given the state of computer security and the high stakes in political elections,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Even if blockchain technology was rolled out nationwide in a major vote, polling places would still need to be dotted across the country to cater to those who don\u2019t have the technology or knowhow to cast their ballot digitally.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">However, such criticism doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that blockchain should be written off altogether \u2014 and that these cutting-edge networks have no place in the electoral system.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Counting_on_blockchain\"><\/span>Counting on blockchain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/freeton.org\/\">Free TON<\/a> is one community that has been looking into this issue in greater depth \u2014 and rather than devising a system to ensure blockchain is used during voting, it is working to create software that delivers value after voting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In November 2020, a contest was held to produce the specifications for software that would pave the way for votes to be audited in a crowdsourced, tamperproof fashion. Crucially, this technology would enable anyone to verify the counts of existing election authorities \u2014 helping to boost confidence in the final results.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Luca Patrick, who ended up winning the contest, created specifications for software that is tailored toward Latin American countries such as Guatemala, where vote rigging claims have gone hand in hand with political instability. He received 30,000 TON Crystals for his contribution.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThe election process is such an obvious problem in so many countries. I\u2019ve been thinking of solutions and their different applications for a few years now. When I saw that I could actually put some of them into action through Free TON, I was quite excited,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a> mechanics are a key part of his concept, where those counting the results mine tokens which are locked up. Those who check the vote counters\u2019 work then unlock these digital assets if the results are correct \u2014 an on-chain model that rewards honesty.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The next stage of the process will focus on bringing Luca\u2019s concept to life \u2014 and a contest has been launched to find the team that will be responsible for development and following the specification closely.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">For Carlos Toriello, a Free TON jury member who backed Luca\u2019s winning entry, the magic of his proposal centered on how countries wouldn\u2019t require existing voting systems to be changed \u2014 nor does it attempt to introduce electronic voting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThere is too much waste by elections authorities that haven&#8217;t realized that blockchain can save them millions while also dramatically increasing the speed of independent audits,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Toriello has been campaigning for this sort of technology as part of a wider initiative called <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fiscaldigital-dev.web.app\/\">Fiscal Digital<\/a>, following concerns of voter fraud that arose in 2019\u2019s Guatemalan election. The group\u2019s goal is to publish fully audited election results that are replicable before election authorities publish their own \u2014 and it has the ambition of verifying results in real time by 2023. It\u2019s hoped that Free TON\u2019s infrastructure will help turn this target into a reality.<\/p>\n<p>He explained: \u201cThis year, Latin America will see presidential elections in Chile, Per\u00fa, Nicaragua and Honduras \u2014 while there will be legislative elections in Mexico, El Salvador and Argentina. I believe we will see much violence as a result of lack of trust in the voting systems, giving autocratic leaders the excuse they need to curtail democratic rights. Much of this could be prevented if better technology was used to enable anyone to verify election results.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Faster results and reduced cost would be compelling reasons for countries to embrace blockchain in the vote auditing process. The fact that anyone can verify results for themselves could also help restore much-needed confidence in an election\u2019s outcome \u2014 and in some countries, this could end up saving lives.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f0f0f0; padding: 8px 21px; font-weight: bold; color:#253137;\">Learn more about <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/freeton.org\/\" style=\"color: #253137\">Free TON<\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12px; color: rgb(169, 169, 169);\"><span style=\"font-weight: 600\">Disclaimer.<\/span> Cointelegraph does not endorse any content or product on this page. While we aim at providing you all important information that we could obtain, readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company and carry full responsibility for their decisions, nor this article can be considered as an investment advice. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/could-blockchain-end-bitter-vote-rigging-disputes-once-and-for-all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# Could blockchain end bitter vote-rigging disputes once and for all? &#8221; From the United States to Uganda, allegations of vote rigging have become part and parcel of elections worldwide. Some of these claims are legitimate, with strongmen leaders suppressing the will of the people in a desperate attempt to cling on to power. But&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":178853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/1200_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS9zdG9yYWdlL3VwbG9hZHMvdmlldy8yY2Y0NmUzODUxYjQxZWJiNGNkOTZkZDUxZjk5ZjU3YS5qcGc=.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[74894,71065,67874,70473],"class_list":["post-178852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-blockchain","tag-uganda","tag-united-states","tag-voting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}