Vote From Your Phone? West Virginia To Test Blockchain-Based Voting In 2018 Election

[Judi Lynn]

Source: International Business Times

By Alex Perry
08/07/18 AT 12:13 PM

In an era of increased anxiety over the possibility of election fraud, one state will allow certain residents to vote using their mobile phones for the first time. West Virginia is set to give mobile voting privileges to military personnel serving overseas through the use of a blockchain-based startup during the upcoming midterm elections, CNN reported.

Some West Virginian voters will use an app designed by the startup Voatz. It will mostly be restricted to West Virginians serving overseas and those voters can still choose to use traditional balloting methods. Two counties tested the Voatz system during a primary election earlier this year. West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner was impressed enough with the results to broaden it for November’s midterms.

Counties in the state will get the final call as to whether or not they utilize Voatz, per CNN.

Anyone trying to vote with Voatz needs to go through a digital vetting process first to reduce the threat of voter fraud. They will need to provide a photo of their ID and then take a video of their face. The photo and the video will be matched up using facial recognition software, which will then allow the user to vote after approval.

Read more: https://www.ibtimes.com/vote-your-phone-west-virginia-test-blockchain-based-voting-2018-election-2706470

[Tiggeroshii]

1. Um. I don't think that's a good idea...

[sandensea]

2. Exactly. So much so that this must have been a Putin/GRU idea.

I doubt West Virginia Rethugs woke up one day and thought of this all by their little old selves.

The possibilities of hacking and vote flipping are endless. Expect to see other state GOPees floting this trial balloon in the run-up to 2020 especially.

[illegal smile]

7. West Virginia is ahead of the curve on this

Blockchains, as far as I know (what my techie son tells me), are the gold standard of un-hackableness at the moment. I understand and share to some extent apprehension, but if this is an integrous attempt to make voting easier and more secure I applaud West Virginia for exploring its potential.

[iluvtennis]

4. Me either. Cna be hacked. Until this country figures out how to protect against

hacking, this should not be allowed.

I'm a former military and we alwasy voted via absentee paper ballots and that system should remain in effect.

[pecosbob]

3. Wait, don't tell me...they're gonna hand out free ZTE phones, too...

[ToxMarz]

5. How about we go the opposite direction.

Paper ballots. It's very simple. Blockchain just makes the hacking/tampering harder to find and trace. It is only as good as the weakest link in the system, and you can be sure many weak links will be purposely planted in the system.

[PSPS]

6. A voter "needs to go through a digital vetting process first to reduce the threat of voter fraud."

Sounds more like a kobach-inspired way to "reduce the threat of a democrat voting." Voting shouldn't be and needn't be privatized anyway. And, blockchain? That's supposed to make it "safe" or "error-proof?" Tell that to Verge. They were hacked/"mined" out of a lot of crypto money last April that was supposed to be safe because of blockchain. Same goes for the Electroneum hack, and there are plenty more.

I wonder if Voatz is another off-the-shelf money laundering scheme run by a KGOP operative. Take in government contract money, line your pockets and dutifully kick back a percentage as a "campaign contribution" to your very own corrupt KGOP congressman who will protect you and keep the taxpayer money flowing.

[mpcamb]

8. Are they safer than Diebold election-swiping machines?

Put a computer expert in front of them before you pull the lever.
We're up against lying, cheating scum whose morals are lower than your socks.

[WhiteTara]

9. Block chain technology is great

and I think this might be a solution. Once something goes in the chain, it can not be altered. Each transaction receives its own id number and can be verified.

Modern day paper ballot.

[William Seger]

11. "Once something goes in the chain" solves less than half the problem

Problems like "am I really logging into the voting system or did I fall for spearphishing" and "is this voter who he says he is" and "is the vote that went in the chain what the voter actually selected" are not solved. Using cell phones for voting is a seriously bad idea.

[Hekate]

10. What could possibly go wrong with that idea?

[olddad56]

12. they have telephones in West Virginia?

[William Seger]

13. xkcd