Performing elections in this way gives speed and security to the process. Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and The US are implementing this initiative

The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) of Thailand developed a proposal in order to use blockchain technology in electronic voting. With this solution, the Thai government agency aims to digitize the voting in said country.

NECTEC is a government organization that operates under the supervision of the National Agency for the Development of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology. This organization promotes the development of information technology, electronics and telecommunications.

Chalee Vorakulpipat, Head of the cybersecurity laboratory at NECTEC, reported: “Nectec developed a block technology for electronic voting that can be applied in national, provincial or community elections, as well as business voting like that of the board of directors. The objective is to reduce fraud and maintain the integrity of the data”.

Vorakulpipat explained that, in order for the system to work, a controller must participate, who can verify the identity of the voters and the qualifications of the candidates. Voters could vote through email and a mobile camera will review their votes. For the time being, technology can be used along with traditional voting as Thais gain more technological knowledge.

The NECTEC is currently looking for partners to conduct tests. In addition, the agency seeks to test the blockchain system on a smaller scale in elections of universities, provinces, and communities.

According to Vorakulpipat, the blockchain voting could be deployed in the short term in a closed environment. For example, Thais who live abroad can go to an embassy or consulate to vote and verify their identity. Vorakulpipat also said that the system could be tested in smaller elections in organizations such as universities, provinces and committee meetings.

In relation to a large-scale implementation, such as for general elections, the agency will require more time since “all voters must have a good mobile internet connection and identity verification”, Vorakulpipat said.

Other countries decided to implement blockchain technology in their voting system. In November 2018, South Korea announced that it would test a blockchain system to improve the reliability and security of online voting.

The municipal government of the Japanese city of Tsukuba also tested a blockchain-based system that allows its users to vote, in order to decide on local development programs. Both the Swiss city of Zug and Tsukuba have conducted chain voting trials in municipal elections.

The US state of West Virginia also plans to launch a blockchain-based mobile application so that military personnel can vote easily from abroad.

Growing Trend

Many countries of the Asian continent also work on other types of blockchain developments to offer solutions to their public administrations.

The Ministry of Commerce of Thailand is studying the use of ledger technology distributed in areas such as copyright, agriculture, and commerce. Pimchanok Vonkorpon, official at the Office of Commercial Strategies, said that blockchain will guarantee “competitiveness and credibility, especially around local companies in the country”.

In mid-September, a blockchain solution was announced in Thailand for the issuance of bank certifications, through the financial institution Bond Market Association. Also, Kasikornbank bank revealed its association with Visa, in order to use its system “B2B Connect” to provide solutions to cross-border transfers backed by the blockchain technology. The near future seems to continue including this technology to achieve various solutions.

By María Rodríguez

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here