USING BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IN VOTING

Abstract

This paper discusses blockchain technology and its associated tools, considers the application of this technology, presents a Web application for voting in elections as an example of the application and discusses advantages and disadvantages of blockchain technology in general and in regard to voting in particular.Blockchain technology was developed for first cryptocurrency known as Bitcoin as its transaction mechanism.It is decentralized in nature and nowadays found its place in many areas including financial and insurance markets.The technology allows to validate user entries, safeguard them preventing the possibility of a change, preserve them for historic purposes and secure against unauthorized access due to its decentralized nature.Users have full access to their records at all times.Information is reliable and up-to-date.When a transaction record is created, all necessary information about the transaction is created and placed in there and public key -private key mechanism is employed.The transaction record is then broadcast to every party in the network, verified and recorded in the public ledger.Blockchain technology can be utilized in voting.Conventional voting systems are usually centralized.That poses security and efficiency limitations.Electoral fraud is another issue in elections and results in lower voter turnout that in turn makes it easier to commit fraud.Fairness is a big aspect in elections in many countries.The characteristics of blockchain technology mentioned above nicely fit for this purpose.We developed a voting Web application as a proof of concept.Instead of money as in the case with cryptocurrency we use a single vote as a digital asset transaction.Validation, safeguarding and preservation of entries are all needed in voting and will be guaranteed by the blockchain technology.Our application is designed as a decentralized Web voting system, which provides a public and transparent voting process while protecting the anonymity of voter's identity, the privacy of data transmission and verifiability of ballots.We also consider current limitations of the technology related to voting.Some major disadvantages of using a blockchain technology are access to a computing device and required technological maturity.These problems might exclude some population from voting.A natural solution is to use a mixed approach wherein paper ballots are provided as a backup on a few polling stations.Nevertheless, blockchain technology is appropriate for using as an election mechanism, which was showcased as a proof of concept in this paper.