By Matheus Darós Pagani
CEO of 4CADIA Foundation
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a strong debate about postponing elections in several countries around the world.
So far, at least 51 countries and territories in the world have decided to postpone national and sub-national elections as a preventive measure against the spread of the virus. It is possible that the number will change as the problem advances in other countries, considering the possibility of new waves of contamination and the need to renew social distancing measures.
These are decisions that cover nations on the five continents of the planet. It is certainly one of the most tragic events in the history of world democracies, and it should not leave good memories in terms of civism and political participation. In terms of the post-Pandemic world, the window of opportunity that opens for a democratic reaction is real.
The pandemic has always been a real possibility, as well as periods of isolation as a consequence. This means that companies and organizations will have to adapt in the future to deal with such situations. Anyone who does not have a pandemic scenario and temporary closure in their portfolio will not have a portfolio after all.
In the case of democratic governments, having a plan for dealing with such situations is essential. After all, citizens will not want to become perpetual hostages of health authorities who are not always honest and disinterested in their decisions affecting politics. At the same time, it is necessary to have a mechanism that protects against scientific negationism in dealing with the problem. In other words, isolating may be necessary, but it cannot be an excuse to subvert democracy.
What if there were a way for people to vote without leaving their homes, but without compromising the security and confidentiality of the vote? Blockchain technology may offer the answers to that question. This technology allows the creation of an immutable trail of information through encryption, which can be tracked from end to end, decentralizing checks and balances mechanisms, without exposing citizens’ privacy. This is the case being applied in Agora, the Swiss company responsible for the process in Sierra Leone, and Active Citizen in Russia.
Applications already operational in several countries around the world may enable replacing a hierarchical control matrix and centralized command systems for a more horizontal form of governance. They range from strengthening tools for the electoral process to applications aimed at including expatriates in the decision-making process, covering also those aimed at collective decision-making processes in community intervention projects.
The inclusion of blockchain technology in electoral processes is being discussed even now in many countries around the world. In the United States, a promising application is being developed by the WinterGreen Research and Government Blockchain Association (GBA), which enables the detection of fraud.
Although it is too early to say that we are facing an evident advance, it is not impossible that the largest nations on the planet will open themselves up to democratic innovation, in case the pandemic persists and the need for a current postponement in the traditional model is imposed. In that case, we would have an excellent sign of democratic progress in the post-Pandemic world. This would be the best possible message to sign the end of the authoritarians.
