In November of 2000 nearly every person of voting age learned the term “Hanging Chad.” It was a term tossed around by the water cooler in nearly every office across the country. Americans waited three long weeks for the results of the presidential election. When the news finally came George W. Bush was declared the winner of Florida’s electoral votes and therefore, the entire election. What followed were a slew of accusations and lawsuits. It was a scandal for Gore backers, a triumph for Bush backers, and a mess for a nation.
Truth be told there have been many elections rife with controversy. Notably, Thomas Jefferson’s win in 1800, the disputed victory of John Quincy Adams in 1824, and the unprecedented victory of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876. Even presidential giants like Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were involved in controversial elections.
In modern elections there are accusations of voter fraud tossed back and forth across the aisle en masse. Claims of dead people voting, people voting twice, poll workers throwing out ballots, and most recently the 2020 mail-in ballot debacle.
With so much controversy and accusations of fraud and manipulation, wouldn’t it make sense to have a secure, verifiable, and transparent voting system? A decentralized system free of any outside influence? A system where every single vote can be tracked and verified by anyone who wants to look?
That is precisely what the blockchain can bring. Imagine a world where every single vote is truly counted. You don’t have to slide a paper into a box and hope the scribbled ink inside the tiny circle next to your candidate’s name can be read. No more worrying about what shadowy corporation owns and operates the electronic voting machine you fear may be nefariously switching your vote. No more standing in line for hours just to have your voice heard. No more insanely inaccurate exit polls.
Blockchain voting can be done from the comfort of your home, the front seat of your car during your lunch break, or even at your desk as you pretend to work for a boss you hate. Or better yet, from the beach you are laying on because you invested in cryptocurrency and have no boss.
We no longer need to be tied to the television for hours on end on Election Day waiting and watching as polls close and finalize their counts. No more waiting as thousands of volunteers across the nation count ballot after ballot. The drama of it all could simply go away. Though some people would no doubt miss that aspect of Election Day, it wouldn’t need to be an event any longer. Our elections would no longer be a spectacle for the world to gawk at.
The instant the polls close you would have a decisive winner. The reaper has demonstrated this utility with their own custom voting tool. Instant, transparent results. No recounts, no “Hanging Chads”. A true, clear cut, verifiable winner. No fuss, no controversy, no lawsuits. Clean, efficient, cheap. That, after all, is the blockchain way.
Original Credit: B. R. Johnson
