The Democratic Party of India (DPI) has signed a landmark deal with the blockchain-enabled MiVote platform. In doing so, DPI has placed its seat in the club of government blockchain adopters, and will go down in history as the first political party to embrace the MiVote model in the world.
In the Indian government’s context, the new deal will see that the DPI addresses all policy decisions, whose discussions will be supported by a blockchain platform. The basic functioning of the model will mean that Indian citizens will front their civic opinions via the democratic platform through a Bitcoin-like mechanism.
Well, to achieve this goal, MiVote will power the DPI using the blockchain technology run by Horizon State, an Australian company with worldwide acclaim in high tech. The platform will accord voters unlimited access to voting fairness on the most sophisticated voting platform of this age.
Critic sentiment aside, it is undeniable that the MiVote movement has become a darling in the third largest economy in Asia. The fact that MiVote India was first launched at the World Economic Forum adds up to its merit among tech powerhouses.
A Calling to Community Development
As with every revolutionary idea, the MiVote significance could only be solidified with community ideals. The platform’s creator developed MiVote from the standpoint of community development through blockchain technology.
Thus, MiVote provides a democratic platform that aims to advance aspects of decision-making and civic engagement right at the community level. It can be utilized by political outfits, regular citizens and governments to streamline policy actions.
What Makes This Partnership Historic
DPI and MiVote can be likened to incomplete pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. While MiVote India has received worldwide acclaim in line with social entrepreneurship, the DPI, as it describes itself, is focused on the socioeconomic empowerment of Indian citizens. Its target to connect the complexities of Indian society is synonymous with the many uses of blockchain technology in improving lives of the impoverished.
Speaking on the historic achievement, DPI President Captain G.S. Rathee remarked in a press release that the new deal will traverse various echelons of Indian development, and provide a roadmap to national democratic efficiency.
Horizon State: Harnessing the Blockchain
If you have been keeping up with blockchain-related news, chances are high that you possess just the right idea about how MiVote’s model has blended well with the technology of its spinoff company, Horizon State.
MiVote’s partnership with Horizon State and DPI comes off as an unbeatable triad in the business aspect. The significance of Horizon State at the 2018 World Economic Forum was unparalleled. This event brought the company immense global attention regarding Horizon State’s role in the future of voting procedures.
Moving forward, the company’s anticipated role in MiVote’s India project will just solidify its importance in both realms of blockchain and civic affairs.
The MiVote Model: Key Features
A close look at MiVote’s key features adds up to the wealth of knowledge regarding how blockchain technologies can be used outside of the cryptocurrency space.
First, the MiVote model supports discussions surrounding national policy at the constituency level. These issues are addressed in a fact-based fashion with regard to nonpartisan views.
It also accords citizens with an equal voice on matters regarding political discourse, with a focus on bringing leaders to account for their competencies.
Furthermore, the fact that corporate monies will have no place in the platform’s undertakings means that absolute transparency is among the key provisions of the MiVote platform.
The Enigma: Use of Blockchain Technology in Voting
Discussions about the application of Bitcoin in voting had germinated during early days of the blockchain-supported cryptocurrency.
At the time, way back in 2012, Canadian computer scientists are said to have explored various possibilities of incorporating Bitcoin in electronic voting. The vision of these scientists focused on the applicability of blockchain functions to validate one of the world’s most popular democratic tools.
According to their ideas, computer scientists Jeremy Clark and Aleksander Essex created CommitCoin, which provided a methodology towards securing people’s votes. The process is reported to have been capable enough to prevent outside interference with the voting process—election officials could not tamper with votes.
Accordingly, CommitCoin was fondly identified as the tool that “allows you to not trust anyone,” according to its creators.
Moreover, various tech startups followed the Canadian researchers’ example by hosting numerous tests to ascertain the applicability of blockchain technology in voting processes. A key example is that of the Virginia-based startup, FollowMyVote, which is built on serving a secure voting solution for the modern era. According to the company, the security shortcomings linked to online voting have become a thing of the past, thanks to blockchain.
The FollowMyVote platform works by creating a voting mechanism that allows one-time voting through a token system. In this breath, to vote, tokens are deposited into a preferred candidate’s wallet and recorded on the blockchain.
Additionally, BitCongress has established itself as another voting solutions provider within the blockchain space. The company is working on using blockchain technology to establish a decentralized voting platform. From the system, all votes will be accounted, tamper-proof and will employ wallets in voting. The points were well explicated in a BitCongress whitepaper that illuminates the aspect of blockchain voting and law.
In a nutshell, the voting system proposed by BitCongress will use the “VOTE” token to create permanent records of votes to prevent people from voting twice. The aim here is to eliminate cases of voter fraud. The company has expanded its horizon to accommodate the “voice of the people” concept that will accord people with opportunities to debate civic life.
Parting Shot
While the opportunities offered by blockchain technology are countless and expanding, it may take governments a long time to fully embrace the application of blockchain technology in democratic processes.
Until then, society may have to be prepared to continue to endure years of Twitter bashing and aggressive political rhetoric until effective technology-enabled civic engagement solutions are put in place worldwide.
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