Brazil Mulls Use of Blockchain Technology in Future Elections

Brazil Mulls Use of Blockchain Technology in Future Elections

The Brazilian voting authority (TSE) has publicly proclaimed it is studying blockchain technology for conducting the national general elections. Celio Castro Wermerlinger, the coordinator of modernization, stated that this decentralized ledger technology was included in a research program called "Elections of the Future."

TSE Is Researching Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology is being included in several solutions designed for various applications, including ballot and voting technologies. The Brazilian voting authorities announced last month that they were researching blockchain technology and the various ways to include it in the election process.

Celio Castro Wermerlinger, who is the coordinator of modernization at the Brazilian voting authority, stated that end-to-end voting protocol, post-quantum cryptography, shared keys, and blockchain were part of the technologies being studied. This investigation is part of a program called "Elections of the Future," which seeks more efficient and economically viable solutions for integration into the electronic voting system.

However, Wermerlinger did not offer a timeline for the application of the solutions and argued that the Brazilian voting system, which is safe due to the electronic solutions that are implemented in every election.

Voting and Blockchain

While voting is listed as one of the possible applications of blockchain technology due to trust and security, it has not been widely adopted apart from several pilot tests conducted in the U.S. and other countries.

Voatz, a blockchain-based voting company, is one of the pioneers in this field, having helped residents of West Virginia outside of the state to vote using their mobile phones during the 2018 election. However, authorities in the state suspended its use, citing security concerns in 2020.

The platform has been used to organize a mock election in Chandler, Arizona to test the platform and the reaction of the citizens while using this kind of app on a ballot. The pilot was recently deemed positive by the city clerk.

Voatz has also been involved in elections in other countries, including Venezuela. The application was used to organize an unofficial referendum against Nicolas Maduro, the President of the country, with millions using it in 2020.