Thailand to Introduce Blockchain In E-Voting

Thailand is planning to go big with blockchain with an idea to incorporate the technology into the voting system. The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center(NECTEC) of Thailand has confirmed the news via the Bangkok Post.

NECTEC handles the development of computing, IT, electronics and telecommunications.It operates under the Ministry of Science and Technology and is also governed by the National Science and Technology Development Agency.

With a growing technologically literate population, implementation of such an idea seems less far-fetched. The upcoming 5G network will have a huge role to play in it as the technological constraints faced in adoption of blockchain can be eliminated wholly by incorporating such a network, claims NECTEC.

NECTEC’s Head of Cybersecurity, Chalee Vorakulpipat told the Bangkok Post:

Nectec developed blockchain technology for e-voting that can be applied to national, provincial or community elections, as well as business votes such as the board of directors.The goal is to reduce fraud and maintain data integrity.

The idea if implemented with its full potential, will allow the voters to make their votes through email and all they would require is a verification from their mobile cameras.

Vorakulpipat said that for such a system to come into place they need to make controller that is capable of storing and verifying the details of voters and the candidates.

This strategy is bound to make elections faster and a lot cheaper but this is when all the voters have access to an active internet connection.

The organization plans to take this system to a closed environment for now. Thai embassies across the world can start practicing this strategy by providing a convenient method to cast votes for the Thai nationals who are settled abroad.

This strategy can also be implemented in universities for student elections and various committee boards.

Other countries are also planning to come up with such a plan. Post the 2018 mid-term federal elections in the United States, the State of West Virginia conducted a successful trial of mobile blockchain voting for their citizens in the armed forces posted overseas, said the Secretary of State.

The cities of Switzerland and Japan, Zug and Tsukuba respectively, gained success in the trials conducted for voting in municipal elections via the blockchain technology. Residents were given the options to select 13 proposed initiatives that they believe would be beneficial like developing a new cancer diagnostic technology, construction of objects for outdoor activities etc.