Andrew Yang Wants to Make US Elections Fraud-Proof Using Blockchain

Democratic candidate Andrew Yang says he will implement blockchain-based mobile voting if he wins the 2020 United States presidential election.

On his campaign website, the blockchain advocate says he believes American citizens should have the option of voting on a mobile device — with blockchain technology used for verification purposes.

“It’s ridiculous that in 2020 we are still standing in line for hours”

Yang also believes that, in terms of security risks, most voting machines are just as vulnerable to hackers as modern technology is. He wrote:

“It’s ridiculous that in 2020 we are still standing in line for hours to vote in antiquated voting booths. It is 100% technically possible to have fraud-proof voting on our mobile phones today using the blockchain. This would revolutionize true democracy and increase participation to include all Americans — those without smartphones could use the legacy system and lines would be very short.”

As an upshot, Yang hopes that mobile voting will drive increased participation in elections. On his website, the candidate claims that presidential elections currently have about 50% participation from the public — and low turnout “rewards extreme points of view as opposed to the popular will.”

Last month, a new political action committee supporting Yang announced it will accept donations in Bitcoin via the Lightning Network. In April, Yang also called for clear guidelines for investors, companies and individuals on cryptocurrencies — adding that blockchain has vast potential.

As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the ruling party of the Russian Federation, United Russia, launched a blockchain-based platform for voting in primary elections back in March. It allows citizens to vote online with vote counting supported by blockchain technology to prevent tampering.