Mobile phone voting – what could go wrong?
Blame West Virginia… if this idea does go horrifically wrong because they are the ones introducing it. However, you cannot fault them for trying, and it is for a good cause. That cause is giving West Virginians serving overseas an easier time voting. And if anyone deserves to vote it is those guys (and gals).
Secretary of State… Mac Warner and Voatz, the company behind the voting app, are insisting that everything will be just fine. To use the app, users must register with a photo of their government-issued ID and a selfie-style video of their face. Once approved, voters can do what they do best – and that is to vote, of course. The ballots will also be anonymous and recorded using, what else, but blockchain technology.
But not everyone is on board… and Joseph Lorenzo Hall, the chief technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology went as far as to call it “a horrific idea.” And even if the app is secure, there are many risks added to a process that hasn’t been very secure in recent memory. Nevertheless, if West Virginia wants to be our guinea pig for mobile voting, I say let them have at it – and let everyone know how it goes.