Impact of Blockchain Technology on Democracy

Blockchain Technology has been tipped to disrupt several industries, it has been touted to revolutionize everything from the future of finance to the cure to poverty and the only way to secure land registries. Now the big question is if it can have a very big impact on democracy. The answer to this question may not be a Nutcracker to some of us that already understands the fact that the blockchain is a transparent, immutable and decentralized digital ledger for storing records of transactions. But for the purpose of clarity to those that are new to the possibilities the adoption of this edge-cutting technology can bring, this article seeks to succinctly answer the question asked above.

Blockchain technology proposes a decentralized, transparent way for storing information and we seek to know the intersection between this technology’s offerings and the impact on democracy.

Democracy coined from the Greek word ‘demokratia’ which means ‘rule by the people’ is a system of government in which people are allowed to freely express their fundamental human rights. To further streamline our scope, Democracy, according to Wikipedia is a form of government where the citizens exercise power by voting.

From the definition seen above, it is safe to generally define democracy to be a system of government in which the people being governed have the right to make decisions on who to govern them, laws to be passed and also have the power to control how the governing of the country or region should be to an extent.

Technology, generally, exists to optimize the traditional process of carrying out certain activities. Consider the ease at which we send and receive information since the advent of the internet. It seeks to make the life of its users easier and less stressful.

In recent times and with recent happenings, it can be said that most of the countries within Africa lack good governance and resource management. Hence, the expected development is hampered. There is a lack of true democracy where the government voted in is truly the choice of the people and works for the people. True Democracy has been hampered and this begs the question, ‘with this rate of technological advancement, why are some parts of Africa still wallowing in the old way of doing things?’

Blockchain Technology

The Blockchain use cases are numerous; the power it grants billions of people to vote and decide on a mutual way forward, with little or no middleman interference is one function that is mind blowing. The imprudent practices of the centralized system and more importantly, the lack of transparency is a major obstacle to development in all sectors. This calls for a system that offers a transparent and secure platform for our election processes.

Existing pain points

• High costs related to ballot printing, electronic voting machines, maintenance, etc.
• Increasing threats of cyberattacks compromising election results
• Lack of transparency due to a centralized process of election results audit
• Voting delays or inefficiencies related to remote/ absentee voting

The rate of violence and criminal acts during an election is enough to cause the level of Voter’s apathy we have now, the records from past elections that were conducted shows the ratio of the population of those that were of age to vote in the country and those that came out to vote. The current processes involved in the country during elections are too stressful on the part of the voters, exposes them to danger when they go out to vote, causes a waste of time and also gives them a reason to believe that their vote doesn’t count.

Blockchain value proposition

• Potential cost savings through blockchain enabled voting

• Potential for enhanced security and audibility of votes

• Potential for greater participation in elections, including remotely

• Greater transparency meeting citizens’ needs

We should not be voting in this day and age by placing a mark on a piece of paper. Today, we have all the right technologies at our disposal, the Blockchain being one of the useful ones. We just need to learn how to trust it. We have the means to tie each and every electronic vote to an individual. We can also keep it anonymous and ensure that it is secure and tamper proof. So why aren’t we doing it? That’s the question. One would say one of the major factors holding us back from implementing our voting processes on the Blockchain is the lack of trust for the system itself. But it is very easy to debunk that by asking if one can actually trust a thing he knows nothing about?. The first thing a well-meaning government should do in situations like this is to equip themselves with knowledge about the technology and draft out means to spread this knowledge strategically to its citizens. The government, private sectors assisted by blockchain companies and experts need to work together to educate the youths and citizens about the blockchain, its use cases and learn about how it will disrupt various industries in the country.

The issue of implementing the electoral processes of a nation on the blockchain is not something to be done only by the government electoral body, it is a project that will cut across different government sectors to ensure easy and complete implementation.

This critical and legitimacy-granting public function has been the source of much activity among those working with blockchain. Citizens can cast votes the same way they initiate other secure transactions and validate that their votes were cast — or even verify the election results. Potential solutions are currently working to blend secure digital identity management, anonymous vote-casting, individualized ballot processes (for example, a vote “token”), and ballot casting confirmation verifiable by (and only by) the voter.

The body in charge of identity management, the education institutes, the Banking industry and the likes. With these bodies involved, it is easy to generate a unique Pin or ID that everyone can vote within the comfort of their homes with full confidence that their votes will count since they are already aware of the fact that it is on the blockchain, making it secure, immutable and transparent for everyone to see the results.

Some African countries have taken the bold step and implemented their election on the Blockchain, countries like sierra lone and Kenya.

Another aspect in which the Blockchain technology can impact democracy aside from giving the people the power to vote in their desired leader and be rest assured that their votes will count is in the area of accountability and transparency. If every government transaction is placed on the Blockchain, budgets, allocation, investments, income, and expenditure, it will make the system very transparent and since the blockchain is immutable, in cases of embezzlement or misappropriation of funds, it can easily be traced on the Blockchain. This will definitely create a ripple effect in reducing the rate of corruption in the country and make every government seat up and improve performance since there won’t be room for shady dealing and their performances financially can be easily weighed by everyone who is interested.

If this article was really read and understood, the whole idea behind the blockchain would be clearer now, one could possibly think out for himself the possibilities the adoption of Blockchain would bring.

The government of Nigeria should take strategic steps to adopt this technology and implement it in different sectors for better governance.