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Virginia lawmakers look to blockchain to secure voter records and election results

Tue, 07 Jan 2020, 06:48 am UTC

The Virginia General Assembly, its state legislature, is looking to blockchain technology in a bid to enhance the election process, Cointelegraph reported.

A new bill was pre-filed on Dec. 27 and is slated for offering on Jan. 08. It is currently waiting for committee assignment.

The bill calls upon the Department of Elections to study the use of blockchain technology to secure voter records and election results.

“[B]lockchain technology has the potential to have a profound impact in any area that requires recorded transactions, such as government recordkeeping, voting, chain of custody, and vote counting; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Elections be requested to study the use of blockchain technology to protect voter records and election results,” the bill reads.

If passed, the bill will require the department to look into the kinds of blockchain technology that could be used to secure voter records and election results and determine the associated costs and benefits as compared to traditional measures.

In addition, the department would also be required to make recommendations on whether and how to implement blockchain technology in practices affecting the security of voter records and election results.

“The Department of Elections shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2020, and for the second year by November 30, 2021, and the Department of Elections shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year,” it added.

In the past, West Virginia, the city of Denver, and Utah County have also embraced blockchain technology to streamline the voting process. Similar efforts have also been initiated in countries around the globe including South Korea, Thailand, Catalonia, Uruguay, Kenya and others.

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