Voatz mobile Voting Application used in Municipal Elections

Utah announced it will use the Voatz mobile voting application in the August municipal elections.

According to the press release, eligible militaries and citizens living abroad will be able to use the application to vote. The pilot is a collaboration between Utah County Voantz, Tusk Philanthropies and the National Cybersecurity Center.

Foreign soldiers can vote in absentia

The pilot primarily targets troops abroad, which are normally based on ballot papers in absence. A traditional voting system has been an obstacle to voting in the past. The press release cites the US Election Assistance Commission, stating that nearly 300,000 voters from abroad have requested ballots in the 2016 elections, but could not return them to the clerks in time.

Military security

The Voatz mobile voting application is backed by “military” security technology, as well as biometric infrastructure and blockchain. So far, they have run more than 40 pilot projects in various types of elections. For example, it was previously used in Denver’s municipal elections, as well as two primary ballots in West Virginia.

“The Utah pilot is a signal that the impetus for mobile voting in our country is very real. It supports our theory that when you show people a much better way of doing something, the demand for this will increase,

said Bradley Tusk, founder and CEO of Tusk Philanthropies.