The citizens of Moscow will be able to decide whether or not Vladimir Putin stays in power for some more 12 years using a blockchain voting system. Only two regions have been confirmed to use the blockchain-powered electronic voting system, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.
In March, Russian lawmakers approved adjustments in the constitution that would allow Vladimir Putin to lengthen his presidency for two more six-year terms. However, the public’s constitutional amendment has to be ratified in the next voting slated to take place on July 1.
Blockchain voting system is “almost impossible to hack”
Back in 2019, a blockchain-powered e-voting system was launched in Russia. Just a month before the poll exercise, a French security researcher unearthed a severe weakness on the system, which raised doubts about the technology’s trustworthiness. Experts claimed that the old system could be compromised in less than 20 minutes using openly available software on typical computers.
Nevertheless, the Central Election Commission (CEC) reviewed the use case of the technology for the upcoming elections on a case by case basis. As per the announcement, the blockchain voting system will encrypt and conceal every vote to protect the identity and immutability of data. As a single server does not host the blockchain, making the electronic voting system is “almost impossible to hack.”
“The safety and transparency of electronic voting will be ensured by blockchain technology. Such a network does not have a single server: in order to change the information regarding bulletins, it is necessary to obtain the approval of most network participants, so the chain is almost impossible to hack. The vote itself is anonymized and encrypted.”
Blockchain technology for safety, anonymity, and satisfaction
The blockchain voting system boosts anonymity features that have led most governments to opt for it. Furthermore, the technology has the capability of accommodating multiple users at once. According to the announcement, the voting system will accommodate up to 10 million voters at once.
