Blockchain tech can restore trust in US elections

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Election integrity has been a contentious issue leading up to the 2024 presidential race, but it wasn’t supposed to be this way. With the United States presidential election behind us, it’s a good time to reflect on the systems we use to vote across the country. Thus, let’s minimize any future doubts (whether coming from the right or the left) about the integrity of the election.

According to Gallup, the share of Americans who say they are “not at all confident” about votes being cast and counted correctly in the presidential election has increased from 6 percent in 2004 to 19 percent today. That’s largely because Republicans’ confidence in the presidential election has fallen by 16 points since 2020, while Democrats’ confidence in the same elections remains high, with about 84% feeling “very/somewhat confident.”

Let’s leave aside for a moment the reasons for this inequality between parties. It’s a real problem that 19 percent of American voters are not at all confident about the way they vote during a presidential election. Whether it’s people voting multiple times with mail-in ballots, election machines being vulnerable to hackers (see the HBO documentary Kill Chain), dead people voting, or intimidation tactics on ordinary voters, there are numerous attack vectors that can be exploited. in today’s current system, regardless of party affiliation.

In other parts of the world, such as Taiwan, voting takes place on a single day, with paper votes being counted by hand in public immediately, so the results can be tabulated within six hours. Meanwhile, in the United States, we’ve become accustomed to the idea that it’s acceptable for states like Georgia or Pennsylvania to take days to tally votes. We hope our elections will be decisive so we can move on with our lives, but sometimes it can come down to tens of thousands of votes in key states (like in 2020). If Taiwan can consistently figure out who won the election in less than a day, why can’t we?

The solution is in Blockchain

Many on the right have called for a return to paper ballots, limited absentee/mail voting, and nationwide voter ID. Democrats largely oppose it. What if there was a way to improve election integrity using a less polarizing method, like a blockchain verified with zero-knowledge proofs? What would this look like in practice?

If you were to deploy a voting contract on-chain, the validity of the transactions taking place in that contract would first have to be accepted by everyone involved in validating the blockchain. This won’t just be a bunch of poll workers and election officials; All validators must be.

What does this make possible? In theory, with a verifiable blockchain voting system, you would be able to set up people to vote remotely using a mobile device or computer. In states with voter ID, you can essentially obtain a “proof of identity” by linking your vote to your ID; this can be verified with something like Worldcoin’s biometric iris scan. In states without voter ID, proof that you are that person still proves that you are who you say you are and that you are, in fact, sitting in front of your computer at that moment.

Once these guardrails are in place you can log in to vote and you will only be allowed to vote once because it is tied to your unique ID. Anyone can vote from the comfort and safety of their home, without any potential threats they may face at the polling place. On the zero-knowledge side, it might be possible to leverage ToM evidence to see that a particular individual voted, but not who/what he voted for. Zero-knowledge cryptography makes it possible to prove something is true without revealing the underlying data involved. This could be a key component in the development of an airtight, blockchain-based election system.

With such a voting system, the potential for fraud would be minimized because absentee and mail-in voting would occur electronically, relying on real persons. It will also make voting much easier and therefore could have a significant impact on overall turnout. No need to wait in line or take hours out of your work day. What’s more, U.S. citizens in other countries who would normally vote by absentee ballot will be able to log into the app and cast their votes remotely.

Democrats tend to oppose voter ID in elections, but a blockchain-verified system like this is arguably much more democratic and accessible to voters in a variety of situations that prevent them from voting in person. What about people who have children, don’t have a car, and have limited means of traveling? What about areas where the polling place is far from public transportation?

The California Department of Motor Vehicles digitized and recorded 42 million vehicle titles this year; Thus, it was possible to transfer title deeds in minutes, weeks in advance. Vehicle owners will be able to digitally manage their title using a verifiable ID and a mobile app similar to a crypto wallet. If we can rely on blockchain technology to process our vehicle ownership records, why not our votes?

A way forward

In a near future where zero-knowledge proofs are everywhere and everything is done on-chain, it would make sense to want our voting systems to be modernized in this way, too. Even at first glance, it would appear to be a more democratic system that provides access to eligible voters regardless of their current location, health, family situation, work obligations, or distance from the polling place. Participation would increase rapidly.

Elections and voting systems can be significantly improved with today’s technology. We can do this in an equitable, bipartisan way. Let’s take action to bring more confidence in our elections; The American people deserve no less.

John Camardo

John Camardo is director of product management at Horizen Labs, where he focuses on zkVerify, a modular blockchain for zk-proof verifications. Passionate about ToM technology and data-driven products, John brings over six years of experience from Capital One, where he collaborated with data scientists to develop innovative solutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Operations Research and Information Engineering from Cornell University.