Blockchain Technologies Corporation to work on Blockchain-Based Voting System

Blockchain Technologies Corporation has announced a solution that could fix America’s beleaguered voting situation – what BTC calls “a looming crisis.” BTC looks to replace proprietary machines that require obscure tools for maintenance, with open-source machines where anyone can review the code to ensure it does what it says: no more, no less.

Based in New York City, BTC is a company that looks to implement the use of the blockchain through custom applications, self-executing wills and smart contracts, as well as time stamping and notaries. In this case, their solution, known simply as a “Blockchain Voting Machine” was made possible by Blockchain Apparatus.  Blockchain Apparatus “is a platform for creating non-financial blockchain records,” which makes voting systems a perfect use-case scenario.

Once the data (in this case, the ballots) is entered into the blockchain, it cannot be tampered with. It also allows officials to audit independently and verify the results for authenticity, eliminating the need for trust.

BTC developed a specialized blockchain just for voting, which they call “VoteUnit.” VoteUnit functions the same as a standard blockchain like Bitcoin in regards to writing and storing information, but it will not use transaction fees that could become expensive quickly in a situation like this.

While no machine is unhackable, the BTC claims that its system is not far off. When voters are using it, the machine is offline so results cannot be tampered with remotely. Before submitting to the blockchain, copies are burned onto CDs to have a reference point if results are compromised via an MITM attack or something similar. BTC is expected to finish the machine in time for the 2016 election, which could provide an impetus to get lots of people talking about the blockchain.