Utah Becomes the 3rd Jurisdiction in the US to Facilitate Voting Based on Blockchain
Utah County has decided to facilitate mobile voting powered by blockchain technology in their upcoming municipal primary election. By doing so, it has become the 3rd jurisdiction in the United States that has resorted to the use of this technology for the purpose of voting.
As per the press release dated 23rd July, Utah County would let all the eligible voters take part in the approaching municipal primary poll via a dedicated smartphone application. As a result, the Utah state has become only the 3rd US state to offer such kind of voting following Colorado and West Virginia.
It must be noted that this e-voting measure is a joint effort from the Utah County Elections Division, Tusk Philanthropies, the National Cybersecurity Center, and a platform for mobile elections Voatz.
As noted in the official announcement, the voting has begun from 28th June and will go on till 13th August, which is Election Day. The reports had also stated that the pilot voters’ list included active-duty military along with their qualified dependents as well as the overseas voters.
The first blockchain-enabled mobile voting platform was introduced in West Virginia in last year’s March for their primaries and midterm elections. The second such initiative was piloted by Colorado’s most populous and capital city Denver in March this year for their forthcoming municipal election.
