So why am I talking about the West African nation of Sierra Leone in an IT support blog? Because they used a voting system that could spread worldwide. Let’s talk Sierra Leone and their new voting system.
Sierra Leone used Agora, a digital blockchain voting system, to determine their next president. This was just an option, but many voters took advantage of it. In fact, 70% of votes came in through Agora. This system stores all votes in a ledger. It does so anonymously. Then, it gives instant election results. So it isn’t biased of any political party, like some humans can be.
Sierra Leone used the Agora system because they want to make elections legit. They also want to get rid of corruption and secrecy in the elections. Furthermore, they want to establish trust within the voters. Agora creator Leonardo Grammar believes this blockchain system makes a more level playing field. And of course, this reduces paper ballots. So there is even some environmental justice here. These things are the upside of this trend. But what is the worst that can happen?
Many people, especially in the computer repair business, worry about hackers breaking in the system. In fact, that’s why many American counties and states still use paper ballots. Despite these concerns, Grammer still plans on promoting his Agora system, eventually worldwide. I guess you’re curious about Sierra Leone’s elections. They were on March 7, and the results are too close to call. On March 27, they will have a run-off election. When I think of the controversy surrounding this past US presidential election, I think some Americans are up for anything. Yes, they can corrupt paper ballot. But as pointed out, a political opponent can hack into the system and foul up the election that way. Either way, would you want to switch to a Agora digital blockchain voting system?