The Russian region holds "the biggest blockchain elections in the world"

The government authorities in the Russian region of Saratov claim to have held "the biggest elections on the history blockchain" – given that about 15,000 citizens voted in the youth parliamentary elections in the area.

The elections were held in conjunction with the Russian information security company Kaspersky Labs, the developer of Polys, an online voting platform based on blockchain technology. The company claims its platform provides "secure, anonymous, and scalable online voting," with tamper-proof and cryptographic results that protect voters' anonymity. The platform uses the intelligent technology of the Ethereum contract.

Saratov's vote, according to CNews, was conducted in more than 45 constituencies of the Saratov region, and involved 110 polling stations with digital hardware that recorded their votes – as well as allowing citizens to cast their vote through their mobile phones. With a turnout of 36%, the whole process took seven hours from the beginning to the end, including the time needed to count the votes and process the results.

CNews cites Victoria Belikova, president of the Saratov Youth Affairs Committee, stating that voters have also been asked whether they would like to use blockchain-powered voting systems in the future, rather than using conventional paper forms, with 83% of the participants who answer "yes".

For Vice, Kaspersky has previously stated that he has spoken to a number of "politicians and political organizations in Europe" about the possible use of the Polys platform. The company also states that many European and Asian nations are "technologically and mentally ready" for internet-based voting reform.

However, the company has stated that it will not try to "push" [Polys] in the United States. "Vice has quoted a company official saying," I am a realist and I do not want to pour salt into an open wound "- probably a reference to the continuing allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

A number of Russian government agencies have been thrilled to explore the idea of ​​using blockchain technology solutions in the democratic process, with a number of companies and local authorities currently exploring their options. The theme of the use of blockchain voting technology was discussed at a meeting held by the country's Central Election Commission in October of this year. South Korean reformers are also known to be enthusiastic about the implementation of blockchain as part of the democratic process.

However, some experts argue that blockchains will not solve the security of the vote and could make things worse.