Utah County will test mobile blockchain application for voting in local elections

In one of the districts of the state of Utah, a mobile blockchain application for voting Voatz in municipal primaries in August will be tested.

Utah County in the state of Utah will offer a service on the blockchain to military personnel undergoing military service, their dependents, and military abroad. Testing is carried out as part of a collaboration between the Utah County Election Commission, Voatz, Tusk Philanthropies and the National Cybersecurity Center.

As part of the Tusk Philanthropies efforts to increase voter turnout, the Voatz app was previously tested
in the municipal elections in denver as well as in the two primary elections
in West Virginia – then the US state first proposed mobile voting
using the blockchain in the federal election.

Testing is primarily aimed at the military serving abroad, who usually use absentee ballots, sometimes becoming obstacles to voting. The county statement mentions the United States Electoral Assistance Commission, which claims that nearly 300,000 voters abroad requested absentee ballots for the 2016 elections, but could not return them to the district employees in time.

“The pilot project in Utah is another sign that mobile voting in our country is very realistic and supports our theory that when you show people the best way to do something, there is a demand for it,” said Bradley Tusk (Bradley Tusk), founder and CEO of Tusk Philanthropies. “As we enter the presidential election year, we must continue to remove barriers and barriers so that more people can participate in our democracy.”

According to the statement, Voatz mobile application is supported by military-level security technology, as well as biometric infrastructure and blockchain. Currently, the startup has conducted more than 40 tests.

“The upcoming testing in Utah County will be an excellent opportunity to use the knowledge gained in Denver,” said Forrest Senti, director of business and government initiatives at the National Center for Cybersecurity. “This next test is a great demonstration of how public-private partnerships can innovate to facilitate access to services and increase security for all voters around the world.”