Because the ECI should look beyond the EVM for the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls

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Although the world's largest democracy, India, is in the last part of the 2018 Assembly polls, questions about the safety of EVM and how it could be altered to deliver results in states of Crucial polls simply do not seem to come to an end.

After Madhya Pradesh went to the polls on November 28, the senior leaders of the main opposition party in the state, Congress, alleged the possible manipulation of EVM memorized when news of CCTV technical problems have emerged in one of the rooms that hold electronic voting machines.

Just like those we have seen before, this particular hint suggests how little faith we have in the technology currently used to decide the fate of our democracy – and by extension, the many facets of our lives.

Yet, as it is, the authorities involved insist on the use of EVM in the future, and they are only disappointing the waters when they talk about bringing in the mix solutions for example Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) – a further complication that will do little to allay fears about tampering with voting machines once they leave the polling stations.

This leads us to wonder if it is really time for us to start looking at more modern and secure technologies to ask uncomfortable questions about bedtime fraud, once and for all.

<img title = "poll-copy_121118035546.jpg" src = "https://smedia2.intoday.in/dailyo/story/embed/201812/poll-copy_121118035546.jpg" alt = "poll-copy_121118035546.jpg”/>EVM – only too many years' 80! (Photo: PTI)

Use of Blockchain for voting

Fortunately, the Electoral Commission of India (ECI) will not have to look too far if it decides to replace the rather modern EVMs & # 39; – a first method experienced in India since 1982.

As we move towards 2019, we have before us Blockchain, a technology far superior and safer than electronic voting machines, which can truly revolutionize the future of elections in our country.

Now, in the last two years, Blockchain technology has been in the news to form the backbone of cryptocurrencies. So much so that Blockchain has become almost synonymous with digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ripple and Etheruem.

However, little discussed is the fact that cryptocurrencies are just one of many scenarios of use cases in which Blockchain can be used.

According to experts, rather than web-based currencies, Blockchain – which is essentially a decentralized, secure and transparent digital book – could be used more effectively to advance our critical democratic processes such as polls.

How Blockchain works

But before understanding why Blockchain's vote could work for India, it will be prudent to understand how Blockchain technology works and what makes it unique.

As mentioned earlier, Blockchain is essentially a decentralized ledger, which is created using thousands and perhaps millions of computers, in which each computer acts as a block, in which the linked parts of the encrypted information in the chain are securely stored.

Now, as we know, it is quite possible to hack into a computer and, therefore, it is also possible to change the strongly encrypted block data stored on it. But since data is distributed across millions of computers in an interconnected chain, any fraudulent alteration even for a single block corrupts the entire Blockchain, making this technology virtually impenetrable.

Another crucial aspect of the Blockchain is that, being a decentralized technology, each user within a block on this chain is a custodian of his personal block and, as such, is always aware of how their block affects on the chain.

<img title = "blockchain-copy_121118035608.jpg" src = "https://smedia2.intoday.in/dailyo/story/embed/201812/blockchain-copy_121118035608.jpg" alt = "blockchain-copy_121118035608.jpg”/>Can Blockchain revolutionize the way in which elections in India could work? Try it. (Photo: Facebook)

Because it could work for India

First of all, using Blockchain technology for the biggest electoral event in the world – the Indian Lok Sabha Polls who, in 2014, had a crore cost of Rs 3,424 – we could complete the process at a considerably lower cost, and, all the time, in a much safer way.

The application of blockchain technology would eliminate the possibility of electoral fraud as it would give every citizen a clear record of the vote he voiced.

Moreover, unlike electronic voting machines, the process would not lead to a delay between polls and results, as the referendum to even the largest elections could be declared in real time, thus greatly reducing the possibility of fraud in the elections.

Furthermore, being truly digital with our polls will allow the voting process to get out of the polling booths and securely on our smartphones.

This would help not only to make the probing process much cheaper, but also to safely reach voters in areas affected by terror that would otherwise avoid evictions for fear of their lives.

Countries like the United States have already begun to test the Blockchain voting with limited capacities. As such, there is no reason why the ICE should overlook the benefits of Blockchain for voting in favor of EVM, a technology that many have invested in the democratic process of our country have lost confidence.

Read also: Results of the Assembly elections: Pakistan has declared the results for the national elections in one day. What is bringing India so long?

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