4 ms·

You can audit a small percentage, verify with the original voter it was accurate, and get a statistically significant result about the accuracy.

dmitriid 8y ago
So you need a trusted party to perform an audit, a trusted party to verify votes with original voters (so, no secret/anonymous voting, so you need a trusted party to handle personal data, a trusted party to destroy that data after elections so that the winner doesn't abuse that data) etc. So, you mean "solving them in a blockchain context requires a set of awkward workarounds that undermine the core premise... In fact, if you look at any blockchain solution, inevitably you’ll find an awkward workaround to re-create trusted parties in a trustless world." So what problem exactly does blockchain solve for voting that isn't already solved better and more efficiently now?
- seibelj 8y ago
  If the blockchain containing the votes is distributed to multiple entities, it cannot be tampered without them knowing. Then you can let those entities selectively audit the contents. And then you can follow up with voters, and have them agree or disagree with the accuracy of the record. Compared to messy paper ballots, and electronic voting which is centralized and easy to tamper with, a blockchain solution is much more reliable, tamper-proof, and accurate.
  - dmitriid 8y ago
    > If the blockchain containing the votes is distributed to multiple entities So now you have to find multiple trusted entities. That you trust to: provide proper audits and handle sensitive personal data > And then you can follow up with voters, Who is this you? Another trusted entity? That you have to trust with: handling personal data, be truthful about following up with voters, protecting voter data. And that voters will give you truthful answers. And that this mysterious you doesn't just select "voters" who will tell anything. > Compared to messy paper ballots, and electronic voting which is centralized and easy to tamper with, a blockchain solution is much more reliable, tamper-proof, and accurate. So far you have shown that blockchain solution is: - messy: voter data is no longer anonymised, you need to find multiple trusted agencies to handle personal data. - entirely centralised: everything is done through centralised agencies: centralised audit, centralised "you" who will follow up with voters etc. - extremely easy to tamper with: these "agencies" and this "you" can easily do whatever the hell they want with audits and follow ups - not tamper-proof: the blockhain itself is tamper proof. However, you propose to add a whole host of tamper-prone processes on top of that. - not accurate: so, distribution of voting rights is not accurate, entry of votes into the blockchain is not accurate, the resulting audit is not accurate, the voter follow up is not accurate, but just because there's blockhain in the middle of all of this, this entire process somehow magically becomes accurate? How so?

dmitriid 8y ago

So you need a trusted party to perform an audit, a trusted party to verify votes with original voters (so, no secret/anonymous voting, so you need a trusted party to handle personal data, a trusted party to destroy that data after elections so that the winner doesn't abuse that data) etc. So, you mean "solving them in a blockchain context requires a set of awkward workarounds that undermine the core premise... In fact, if you look at any blockchain solution, inevitably you’ll find an awkward workaround to re-create trusted parties in a trustless world." So what problem exactly does blockchain solve for voting that isn't already solved better and more efficiently now?

seibelj 8y ago
If the blockchain containing the votes is distributed to multiple entities, it cannot be tampered without them knowing. Then you can let those entities selectively audit the contents. And then you can follow up with voters, and have them agree or disagree with the accuracy of the record. Compared to messy paper ballots, and electronic voting which is centralized and easy to tamper with, a blockchain solution is much more reliable, tamper-proof, and accurate.
- dmitriid 8y ago
  > If the blockchain containing the votes is distributed to multiple entities So now you have to find multiple trusted entities. That you trust to: provide proper audits and handle sensitive personal data > And then you can follow up with voters, Who is this you? Another trusted entity? That you have to trust with: handling personal data, be truthful about following up with voters, protecting voter data. And that voters will give you truthful answers. And that this mysterious you doesn't just select "voters" who will tell anything. > Compared to messy paper ballots, and electronic voting which is centralized and easy to tamper with, a blockchain solution is much more reliable, tamper-proof, and accurate. So far you have shown that blockchain solution is: - messy: voter data is no longer anonymised, you need to find multiple trusted agencies to handle personal data. - entirely centralised: everything is done through centralised agencies: centralised audit, centralised "you" who will follow up with voters etc. - extremely easy to tamper with: these "agencies" and this "you" can easily do whatever the hell they want with audits and follow ups - not tamper-proof: the blockhain itself is tamper proof. However, you propose to add a whole host of tamper-prone processes on top of that. - not accurate: so, distribution of voting rights is not accurate, entry of votes into the blockchain is not accurate, the resulting audit is not accurate, the voter follow up is not accurate, but just because there's blockhain in the middle of all of this, this entire process somehow magically becomes accurate? How so?