Why 2018 Mid-terms will bring on the Blockchain
Between voter suppression, machines changing votes, and voter turnout...it's time for a new era.
There’s a lot of contention around the midterm elections this fall. I’m willing to bet that after many people may feel like they slept at the wheel two years ago...I think we may see record number of voters for ages between 18-30. Which is crazy considering MTV has been doing “Rock The Vote” campaigns since the early 200s.
What’s different about this year are two fold
Donald Trump won with less votes than Barrack Obama’s opponent. People either didn’t vote as a vote against Hillary or because they felt like they were voting between two evils. Now they’re feeling like the bystanders of a criminal act. You’ve heard the parable where the bystanders are viewed as just as guilty as the perpetrators. That’s how I feel. It wouldn’t have mattered being in a Red State but I didn’t do my part and I feel like a lot of people I’ve spoken to feel the same.
The second thing that will really affect the election...voter suppression.
Now I’m not in the know of what’s happening, because I’m fairly unknowledgeable from a political standpoint. But in case you have only been paying attention to your state, weird things are happening in Texas and Georgia.
In both states ballot casting machines are switching votes from the Democratic candidate to the Republican one.
Meaning that some people who are really trying to get in and out after a long line are the most susceptible. These errors are being caught because a voter is reviewing their elections and realizing that they were false. Not only that but I’ve seen where some voters are saying they had to correct the matching 3-4 times until it showed the right selections on the confirmation screen.
It’s like the machine is saying, “no that’s not right, you’re in a red state, you must’ve made a mistake voting for a democratic candidate. Let me fix that for you.”
Voter Suppression in Atlanta
I’m in Atlanta so along with the voting change issues there’s also a worry that our registrations will either be held up or deleted altogether.
I’ve read where people who have lived in Atlanta for over a decade are having their registrations deleted over potential inauthentic residential information. They own their homes.
There’s also tens of thousands of held up voter registrations by the Secretary of State. This wouldn’t ordinarily be a criminal problem, but...
The Secretary of State is running for the Governor of GA as a Republican candidate.
The majority of the registrations of the voter registrations are from low-income areas (many of them black concentrated)
The person running against him is a black woman.
This shouldn’t happen. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen. And we now have the tools from preventing it from happening.
Blockchain in United States Elections
I read an article while we were overseas of how Estonia uses blockchain to verify citizens and help them vote, instantaneously pay taxes, and apply for mortgage loans with a decision in minutes or seconds. (view the article here).
Where I see the blockchain affecting how we vote in the United States is when it comes to registration and the process of voting.
People shouldn’t be asked our coached into voting, if you have a SSN issued by the United States government, the day you turn 18 an option should be “unlocked” and that’s where you vote.
There shouldn’t be an issue with voter suppression or intimidation. Registrations shouldn’t be held up. You should get a push notification to your secure portal that allows you to login on Election Day and for you to cast your vote. The process should take all of two minutes. No driving. No waiting in line. Do it from your bedroom and get a long with your day.
Voting tabulations would be instantaneous. You would literally be a able to watch the voter outcome (at least for the popular vote) in real time. You should be able to see how that your individual vote actually matters and that is counted correctly.
That’s the thing about the Blockchain. Even though it uses up a considerable amount of energy to execute actions, soon and very soon, I can’t help but assume that this would be decreased as more and more solar powered options become available.
By utilizing the blockchain every single action is not only anonymous and secure, but you would have 100% guarantee that the number is validated and correct. I believe that this midterm election will really usher in the awareness that it is the best way to do an election with over a hundred million people in a single day.