The future of voting systems might be approaching sooner than you think, and with the digital age we live in, it could be very different from the way we vote today. Blockchain applications are making their way into elections, aiming to make government voting processes more secure, accurate, and transparent than ever before. Therefore, it’s important to know how blockchain can improve this aspect of society and how soon its implementation can happen.

<img class="aligncenter" src="https://scientifica.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/119_provotum-system-xtra-small.png" alt="voting systems and blockchain" width="535" height="360" />
<h2>How Blockchain Applications Can Shape the Future of Voting Systems</h2>
There has been an adoption of Blockchain technology by many industries in recent years. This is due to its ability to decentralize certain functions and processes. In addition, blockchain is self-operating. It can run without relying on any third parties or intermediaries. For example, blockchain tech can help ensure trust in any future voting practices in voting systems while also boosting security levels. However, election organizers are only just beginning to explore how they might benefit from employing blockchain applications in their systems.

Blockchain voting platforms make vote casting a secure, simple process for users. Voters can use their smartphones to cast votes and can audit and verify blockchain-based election results. However, while they offer better accessibility and security opportunities, blockchain applications face substantial barriers before they can become widespread tools in election administration. For instance, not all current voting systems are compatible with blockchains. In addition, some local governments are hesitant to invest large sums of money in unproven technology. Questions about voter behavior must be addressed before blockchains can reach their full potential.
<h3>Elliptic Curve Cryptography</h3>
Using <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptic-curve_cryptography">Elliptic Curve Cryptography</a> in voting can provide a boost in security for voters. Its robustness allows voters to trust the results of their votes because they are encrypted in transit. In addition, the proposed scheme offers many benefits for voting systems. This includes strengthening the security properties of electronic voting and preserving the particularized vote’s secrecy. But, if a voting system is not suitable for Elliptic Curve Cryptography, then it might not be suitable for such applications.

A vote tally stored in an electronic poll book is sensitive data, and it should be encrypted. This prevents an attacker from reading the data and corrupting the election. Additionally, voters should ensure that they test and verify the authenticity of the software they use. The software must match an official hash value. Only if these two elements are consistent can they be trusted. Nonetheless, Elliptic Curve Cryptography is still essential for voting systems.
<h3>Single-Owner Chain Vs Multi-Owner Chain</h3>
There are two different types of chains that can be used in voting systems: single-owner chains and multi-owner chains. Single-owner chains allow one user to have complete authority over a voting system, while multi-owner chains require multiple users to agree on changes before they are made. The choice between single owner and multi-owner depends on what voters are voting on, why they voting, and how votes will be collected. It also depends on how many people will be included in voting for an issue. Most likely, blockchain applications for voting systems will need to use both single-owner chain and multi-owner chain models. This depends on what kind of decisions need to be made and how those decisions will affect voters.

A single-owner chain would store all of a voter’s votes in the same system in a typical voting system. However, a single-owner chain is less secure than a multi-owner chain, as the system owners are the same organization - the Election Agency, a vendor, or a contractor. As a result, an attacker could take control of enough servers to manipulate the data and disrupt the election. In addition, because the system is centralized, there’s no guarantee that there will be a proper recording of votes.

A single-owner chain is also unsecure because it doesn’t prevent malicious actors from altering votes before transmission. Malware can also silently discard ballots, and send voter information to third parties. They can even enable vote-buying and pre-counting. A single-owner chain can’t address these problems because the harm occurs before the ballots reach the co-owners. However, it is possible to design a blockchain to prevent this.
<h3>Secure Digital Ballot Box</h3>
The secure digital ballot box is a cost-effective solution to a long-standing problem with voting systems. The participants will cast their votes with decision tokens stored on their PCs or mobile devices. Therefore, an immutable blockchain will log these tokens in for verification purposes. The technology is particularly useful in sharing environments because it prevents manipulation of the voting results, thereby encouraging participation.

While the use of blockchain in voting systems is gaining popularity, it is important to note that this method is not yet a fully secure alternative. The system’s security depends on the third party’s reliability in recording, counting, and storing the votes. While the decentralized properties of the blockchain allow this to happen, there are significant vulnerabilities in the system before the ballots reach the blockchain. Furthermore, as blockchain is a distributed data container, there is no central authority to control it. So, it’s difficult to guarantee its integrity.
<h3>Election Fraud Prevention</h3>
Using Blockchain in voting systems for election fraud prevention has several benefits. First, it can help prevent widespread election fraud. This technology will also prevent illegal voting because every vote has a unique ID, making it difficult to fake. Secondly, it will help election officials identify and manage errors. While most election systems work with the plan, some flaws can cause a failure in the election process. For example, an attacker with a large budget may flood the blockchain with transactions. This can prevent the users from voting until the election cut-off date.

While most threats to election integrity occur on a national or regional level, blockchain can prevent this by securing the transmission of vote totals. With a secure and transparent transmission of vote totals, this new technology raises the bar for election fraud prevention. Another benefit of Blockchain is that it can help election officials avoid the complication of manually verifying data from hundreds of polling stations. By ensuring that official results match poll station inputs, election officials can eliminate the need for human error and corruption.
<h2>Limitations Of Traditional Voting Systems</h2>
A traditional paper-based voting system has significant limitations. The most obvious is its lack of flexibility: because votes are cast by paper, they have to print, sort, and distribute them to polling locations ahead of time. In contrast, it is possible to operate a blockchain-based voting system remotely and transparently in real-time. This makes it possible to tally votes at once or even retroactively. In addition, because blockchains can distribute encrypted copies of themselves anywhere in a network without the risk of modification or loss, counting votes with blockchain technology would allow anyone in possession of an internet connection (and potentially other trusted parties) to verify election results independently.

This could ensure greater electoral transparency and accountability through faster verification times and easy access for all voters rather than just those who voted at certain polling stations. For example, during elections in Sierra Leone in 2018, there were reports that some people were prevented from voting due to long lines at polling stations. Suppose these individuals had been able to vote via a blockchain application instead of on paper ballots. In that case, they might have been able to participate in their country’s democratic process more easily.
<h2>Limitations Of Blockchain Technology For Elections</h2>
The blockchain is inherently secure, so there’s no danger in keeping votes on a blockchain-based app. However, some limitations have to be taken into account. One key thing to know is that blockchain apps will always remain public, which means anyone could potentially access and change your vote — so long as they have a copy of it (although it would be very difficult to do).

While it may be possible to maintain anonymity when casting ballots through a smart contract or voting platform, you can’t maintain anonymity from vote tampering. There are also other factors to consider: How will citizens get their hands on <a href="https://www.cryptoknowmics.com/news/robinhood-rolled-out-20-million-crypto-wallets">digital wallets</a>? Will people need specialized hardware for transactions? Will voters need to pay transaction fees? These questions need answers before any blockchain-based elections take place.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
According to MIT Technology Review, Blockchain technology could give us tamper-proof digital voting systems. While many countries still use voting machines and paper ballots, blockchain technology can allow voters to verify that their votes were counted correctly without compromising privacy.

Ballot boxes will no longer be necessary as blockchain technologies can eliminate voter fraud in elections by verifying votes through distributed ledgers that are publicly accessible. In fact, a startup called <a href="https://followmyvote.com/">Follow My Vote</a> uses blockchain tech to develop an e-voting platform that enables voters to see where their votes go after they submit them. Combining these benefits with our previous knowledge of how blockchain technology can reduce costs makes it clear that governments would benefit from adopting such systems.

Is Blockchain Voting Systems the Answer to Our Election Woes?

Blockchain technology has the potential to transform everything from voting systems to supply chain management, and the benefits are vast and far-reaching

Oluwademilade Afolabi is a freelance writer and editor passionate about blockchain technology and the health industry. He is a 6th year medical student, and has worked with various companies and blogs since the blockchain revolution began.

Is Blockchain Voting Systems the Answer to Our Election Woes?

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