Top 5 Ways Blockchain Technology Enhances Election Transparency and Legitimacy

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Blockchain Technology Enhances Election Transparency

Disputed elections have long been an issue in the attempt to uphold democratic governance, which frequently led to controversies, protests, and effectively the public losing trust in the country’s electoral process. The transparency & integrity of the electoral processes is paramount to ensuring the legitimacy of governments. Recently, blockchain technologies have emerged as a potential solution to address the challenges of election transparency and legitimacy. In this article we are exploring how blockchain technology enhances election transparency through mitigating issues surrounding disputed elections.

Challenges in Election Transparency and Legitimacy

Disputed elections usually happen when there are concerns over vote tampering, inaccuracies in the counting process, inadequate transparency, and also some human errors &/or biases. Traditional electoral systems are centralized and rely on the trustworthiness & competency of the responsible authorities, which has proven to be extremely flawed with challenges, causing doubts about the fairness or accuracy of the election outcomes.

Understanding Blockchain Technology

Blockchain is a decentralized, tamper-resistant digital ledger that records transactions in a secure and transparent manner. It operates on a distributed ledger network of computers nodes, which work to confirm the validity of a transaction and the record the transaction. Once a transaction is recorded onto the blockchain, it becomes practically immutable, hence ensure irrefutable transparency, security, and traceability.

Mitigating Election Issues with Blockchain

Here are 5 ways blockchain technology enhances election transparency and legitimacy:

Transparency: the main advantage of blockchain technology is its transparency. In the context of elections, every vote and transaction is recorded on a ledger called the blockchain, and will be accessible to all authorized participants. This level of transparency would enable independent auditors to verify and track votes, eliminating the possibility of fraudulent activities.
Immutable Record: Once a vote is recorded on a blockchain, it becomes virtually impossible to alter without the consensus of the network. This immutability ensures that once a voter casts a vote, it cannot be changed or removed without leaving a clear trace of any attempted manipulation.
Decentralization: Blockchain operates on a decentralized network, reducing the dependency on a centralized authority (These authorities can be corrupted, blackmailed, or even threatened). This eliminates the vulnerabilities associated with a single point of failure, making it harder for malicious actors to compromise the integrity of the election process.
Security: Blockchain employs cryptographic techniques to ensure the highest level of transactions and data security. In the case of elections, the cryptographic layer will enhance the security of the voting process, protecting it from unauthorized access and tampering.
Voter Verification: Blockchain can enable secure and private voter verification, allowing voters to confirm that their vote was correctly recorded without revealing their identity. This helps in building trust among voters that their choices have been accurately captured.

Challenges and Considerations

While blockchain technology holds immense potential for addressing election transparency and legitimacy issues, there are still challenges that need to be overcome:

Technical Expertise: Implementing blockchain-based voting systems requires a high level of technical expertise. Ensuring that these systems are user-friendly and accessible to all demographics is crucial.
Voter Privacy: Balancing voter privacy with transparency is a delicate challenge. Blockchain systems need to ensure that votes are verifiable without compromising the anonymity of the voter.
Network Security: Blockchain networks must be adequately secured to prevent attacks or unauthorized access, which could have dire consequences for the integrity of the election.
Adoption and Trust: Widespread adoption of blockchain-based voting systems would require public trust in the technology itself. Convincing voters and stakeholders about the security and reliability of such systems is essential.

History of Election Disputes:

Below is a list of some countries that have experienced disputed elections. Note that this issue is not just isolated to 3rd world countries or African countries, even USA has its share of issues. This is evidence that we need some other ways which are not corruptible & proves that introduction of blockchain technology enhances election transparency & removes unnecessary doubts:

United States: The 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, which was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, is one prominent example. More recently, the 2020 presidential election saw significant challenges to its legitimacy, although these were ultimately rejected by the courts (assuming the judiciary system is not corrupted).
Kenya: The 2007 Kenyan presidential election led to widespread violence and disputes over the results. The situation prompted a power-sharing agreement and constitutional reforms.
Iran: The 2009 Iranian presidential election, which saw the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was marred by allegations of voter fraud and led to widespread protests.
Zimbabwe: The 2008 presidential election in Zimbabwe led to a runoff between incumbent Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The runoff was preceded by violence and allegations of voter intimidation.
Ukraine: The 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, known as the Orange Revolution, was marked by allegations of fraud in favor of Viktor Yanukovych. Protests and a subsequent runoff led to a new election that saw the victory of Viktor Yushchenko.
Russia: Various elections in Russia, including the parliamentary elections of 2011 and the presidential elections of 2012, have faced allegations of irregularities and suppression of opposition.
Nigeria: Nigerian elections, including the 2007 and 2011 presidential elections, have been criticized for irregularities, violence, and voter manipulation.
Democratic Republic of Congo: The 2018 presidential election in Congo was mired in controversy, with allegations of fraud and technical glitches. It was eventually upheld, leading to a transfer of power.
Venezuela: The 2018 presidential election in Venezuela, which re-elected Nicolás Maduro, faced allegations of irregularities and a lack of transparency.
Honduras: The 2017 presidential election in Honduras saw accusations of electoral fraud, leading to protests and political instability.
Turkey: Several elections in Turkey, such as the constitutional referendum in 2017, have been contested due to allegations of biased campaigning and restricted media.
Mexico: Mexico’s history includes disputed elections, such as the 2006 presidential election between Felipe Calderón and Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which led to protests and allegations of fraud.
Uganda: The 2016 Ugandan presidential election faced allegations of voter suppression, harassment of the opposition, and limitations on press freedom.
Afghanistan: Various presidential elections in Afghanistan have been disputed due to allegations of fraud, leading to political tensions and sometimes requiring power-sharing agreements.
Belarus: The 2020 presidential election in Belarus sparked widespread protests and allegations of rigged results, leading to a violent crackdown on dissent.

Note that this is not an exhaustive list, there are many other countries that have experienced election rigging & disputes in most recent history. However, the nature and severity of election dispute is unique to each nation’s political, social, and institutional factors which makes it quite complex to navigate. An election that lacks transparency has the potential to erode the very foundations of democracy and public trust.

Blockchain technology offers a potential solution that has transparency, immutability, and decentralization in the election process. This will not resolve other challenges such as voter intimidation, unequal media exposure and other voter manipulation tools & apparatus up the sleaves of politicians, but the benefits of increased election transparency and legitimacy are substantial. As technology advances, blockchain-based voting systems could play a pivotal role in shaping the future of fair and transparent elections, restoring confidence in democratic processes around the world.