Can blockchain improve election security? a comparative analysis of emerging blockchain e-voting systems

Abstract

This research investigates whether blockchain can improve election security by increasing transparency in the electoral cycle’s voting and vote tabulation phases. Statistically declining perceptions of trust in electoral institutions, rising populist rhetoric, and deepening polarization are stress-testing democratic infrastructure to the extent that a worldwide exploration for more viable alternative voting methods is underway. Although emerging blockchain e-voting systems may be the indirect product of contemporary electoral insecurity, it is another question whether they are ready for full-scale implementation. Thus, this manuscript qualitatively investigates and compares five ongoing projects worldwide based in Estonia, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, and the United States. What unique opportunity costs and policy voids surround these emerging technological infrastructures and their data management systems? Each pilot project is reviewed with a nod to the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Election Security Profile developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Election Security Framework (ESF) standards.