Smartmatic Philippines Considering Blockchain Use in Upcoming Elections
This article was first published here
Smartmatic says it is considering the use of blockchain technology for future elections in a bid to address the weaknesses that sparked accusations during the previous elections.
According to a report by Philippine Star newspaper, the supplier of electronic voter counting machines drew heavy criticism for its role in the elections held in 2016.
There was suspicion that certain executives in the company reportedly colluded with the country’s political administration at the time to favor a specific vice presidential candidate.
Consequently, the electoral results from the exercise for the vice president post are still undergoing review by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
Security and Convenience
Jane Coo from Smartmatic Philippines reportedly said,
“We’re still studying if this (blockchain technology) would be applicable here in the Philippines… Blockchain will make [our system] even more secure and transparent.”
In her opinion, the use of blockchain technology during the May 2019 mid-term elections would offer increased security for the polls. At the same time, it would make it possible for members of the public to cast their votes online.
The use of a transparent framework thanks to the distributed ledger technology would also give voters reason to trust in the poll results. Its use of a network of nodes for information synchronization makes it virtually impossible to breach the system’s security, she went on to add.
During the recent local plebiscite carried out in Norway, Smartmatic used its blockchain system, TIVI. As a result, those with internet connections were able to cast their votes online. Polling stations were only required for a few areas where there was no internet connectivity. Voter turnout was a record 85%.
Zug Switzerland ran a pilot test of blockchain-based elections in June, with officials saying the system would eliminate vote tampering.
Smartmatic Philippines got a contract renewal for the supply of vote counting equipment in February this year.