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"blockchain systems" - which I notice you're invested in by virtue of leading a startup which in some way utilises blockchain technology - may be able to help i
by Yetanfou 6y ago
"blockchain systems" - which I notice you're invested in by virtue of leading a startup which in some way utilises blockchain technology - may be able to help in reducing the opportunities to cheat on the technology side. This is not the main problem when combating voter coercion, a problem which you noted also exists with mail-in voting. This is true and it is one of the reasons why mail-in voting (as compared to absentee ballots which have to be personally requested by the voter) is rife with problems. Technical solutions can only go so far, even that pin-code system with "fake votes" can be thwarted by using the same threat of force to obtain the "legitimate vote PIN". As far as I can see there are currently no reliable technical solutions to this problem and with that the personal vote at the voting station, using a ballot form and a pencil, is still the best solution.
Sometimes a low-tech solution is the best because it provides a low attack surface and is not easily abused at a massive scale. While there are still some opportunities to mess up things - lost ballot boxes, missing ballot forms, etc - these are easily detected and can be rectified.
For now, I vote for simplicity when it comes to casting my vote.
- sebmellen 6y agoI vote for simplicity too. As I've tried to be clear in mentioning, I am not in favor of a voting system like this. For the foreseeable future, paper ballots cast at a polling station are all that make sense. The discussion is in part relevant because the US is on the verge of having the largest mail-in election ever. Trump claims this is insecure, the Democratic party claims otherwise. It's a political hot-button issue, and seems likely to happen. For this reason, I think exploring alternate systems is worthwhile. I hope that makes sense.