The Blockchain Revolution: Paradigm Shifts in Traditional Voting Practices

Perhaps the most advanced application of the distributed ledger technology (DLT), the Blockchain is a decentralized system that is known to store immutable metadata with the use of robust cryptographic hashes and consensus mechanisms. The very foundation of the Blockchain is the establishment of trust-less transactions in peer-to-peer networks. Having been deemed to set off a whirlwind in Industry 4.0 as we know it and starting out with the groundbreaking Bitcoin, this relatively new technology is on the way to prove that it can find applications in almost every imaginable sector. While most people focus only on cryptocurrencies; this disruptive technology, in fact, offers utilities to many administrative operations, fintech procedures, and everyday services which could earlier only be done offline and/or in person, that can now be safely moved to the Internet as Software as a Service (SaaS) models. What makes Blockchain a powerful tool for digitalizing everyday facilities is the introduction of smart contracts, as brought forward foremost by the Ethereum platform. Considering today‟s technology, Blockchain may create one of the most prominent alternatives to traditional voting in terms of security, consistency and speed. The Blockchain technology, fortified by Smart Contracts, enables enhanced data verifiability and lowered costs while maintaining the openness and transparency of the voting process. The anonymity of voters, the security of ballot transmission and the veracity of votes during the billing phase are the most fundamental requirements for voting. In this paper, a potential use case of Blockchain, an E-Voting protocol, is proposed, that utilizes the Blockchain as a transparent ballot box to cast votes. General Terms Blockchain E-Voting Decentralized Application