US Postal Service Files Patent for Blockchain Voting


The U.S. Postal Service has been quietly exploring blockchain mail-in voting, a high-tech approach that involves mobile devices, QR codes and the ledger technology known as blockchain.  The technology was invented to enable the existence of Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

A blockchain is essentially a digital ledger of transactions that is duplicated and distributed across the entire network of computer systems on the blockchain. Each block in the chain contains a number of transactions, and every time a new transaction occurs on the blockchain, a record of that transaction is added to every participant’s ledger. The decentralised database managed by multiple participants is known as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT).

Blockchain is a type of DLT in which transactions are recorded with an immutable cryptographic signature called a hash.

The Properties of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) | Blockchain Explained | Euromoney Learning

This means if one block in one chain was changed, it would be immediately apparent it had been tampered with. If hackers wanted to corrupt a blockchain system, they would have to change every block in the chain, across all of the distributed versions of the chain.

The USPS filed for a patent on February 7, 2020 for a “Secure Voting System” using blockchain technology.

“A voting system can use the security of blockchain and the mail to provide a reliable voting system,” the patent application says. “A registered voter receives a computer readable code in the mail and confirms identity and confirms correct ballot information in an election. The system separates voter identification and votes to ensure vote anonymity, and stores votes on a distributed ledger in a blockchain.”

The “United States Postal Service” is listed as the applicant on the application.

“Voters generally wish to be able to vote for elected officials or on other issues in a manner that is convenient and secure,” the application says. “Further, those holding elections wish to be able to ensure that election results have not been tampered with and that the results actually correspond to the votes that were cast. In some embodiments, a blockchain allows the tracking of the various types of necessary data in a way that is secure and allows others to easily confirm that data has not been altered.”

Equally as interesting as the patent itself is the fact that the application was filed before the coronavirus had wreaked total havoc on the country and long before the idea of mail in voting was being tossed around by pundits and the mainstream media on the daily.

 

Source: Zero Hedge



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3 Comments

  1. Kenneth Knutson
  2. M arvin
  3. Debbie Butler

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