The Brazilian Voting Authority (TSE) has publicly announced that it is studying blockchain as a technology that could help the organization in its mission of regulating ballot papers. Celio Castro Wermerlinger, Enterprise Modernization Coordinator, stated that this decentralized ledger technology has been included in a research program called Elections of the Future.
Brazilian TSE is looking for Blockchain technology
Blockchain technology is embedded in many solutions designed for different applications, including polling and voting technologies. The Brazilian voting authority announced last month that it was researching blockchain technology and the different ways it could be included in ballots.
Celio Castro Wermerlinger, Modernization Coordinator for the Brazilian Voting Authority, stated that mass voting protocol, post-quantum cryptography, shared keys and blockchain were part of the technologies under study. This investigation is part of a program called Future Elections, which seeks more efficient and economically viable solutions to be implemented in an electronic voting system.
However, Wermerlinger did not provide a timetable for implementing these solutions and argued that the Brazilian voting system, which is now 100% national, was secure due to the electronic solutions being implemented on each ballot.
Blockchain and voting
While voting is listed as one of the potential applications of blockchain systems due to the trust and security it may bring, it has not been widely adopted apart from numerous pilot tests conducted in the United States, and events in other countries.
Voatz, a blockchain-based voting company, is one of the industry leaders in helping out-of-state West Virginia residents vote with their mobile phones during the 2018 poll. However, this pilot model has been criticized for the security issues it might pose. on the election results. Authorities in the state suspended its use due to security concerns in 2020.
Even then, the platform was used to organize mock elections in Chandler, Arizona with the aim of testing the platform and citizens’ reaction while using this type of application on a ballot paper. The pilot was recently considered positive by a city clerk.
Foatz also participated in the elections of other countries, including Venezuela. The app was used to organize an unofficial referendum against Nicolas Maduro, the country’s president, with millions in use in 2020.