U.S. Congress Contemplates Using Blockchain-based Voting Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Unprecedented times calls for unprecedented actions. while the election season in the U.S. comes closer, the U.S. Congress is now working on developing a new blockchain-based voting system for the Senate.

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Congress is considering a blockchain-based alternative to the existing voting systems. The report mentions that the blockchain voting systems shall be deployed alongside end-to-end encrypted applications.

The memo was tabled during the "Roundtable on Continuity of Senate Operations and Remote Voting in Times of Crisis,” event. This event was hosted by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chaired by Ohio Senator Rob Portman.

The immutable blockchain ledger is known for high-end authenticity and encryption which has drawn the attention of several Congress members. Thus, they are looking for a blockchain-like robust technology that ensures that the actual senators are voting without any disruption from outside attackers.

Having explored several end-to-end encryption technologies for voting purpose, the Senate has squared-down on using blockchain. The memo explains: “With its encrypted distributed ledger, blockchain can both transmit a vote securely and also verify the correct vote. Some have argued that these attributes make blockchain useful for electronic voting broadly”.

It further mentions: “Blockchain can provide a secure and transparent environment for transactions and a tamper-free electronic record of all the votes. It also reduces the risks of incorrect vote tallies. Moreover, some firms have already begun to deploy blockchain-like technology to help countries, like Estonia, run elections entirely online.”

This is not for the first time that the blockchain technology is being deployed for online voting. Estonia’s 2019 parliamentary elections made the use of blockchain technology for casting vote online.

The report also highlights 51% attacks on the blockchain that will be used to host Senate ballots. The memo emphasizes  that “any remote blockchain voting system would need to be properly set up to eliminate any threat of 51 percent attack. A 51 percent attack occurs when an actor controls more than half of a network's computing power and uses that power to exert control over the blockchain. Other security concerns for remote blockchain voting in the Senate include possible vulnerabilities from cryptographic flaws and software bugs.”

Well, note that this is just a proposal in hand, and the Senate has yet to finalize things on adopting the blockchain route.