United States Postal Service Files Patent for a Blockchain-Based Voting System

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: Notoneofyou

Why can't we just require the use of Real ID?

Fill out your ballot, put your I'd in a box prepared for it, make 2 copies.

One goes in the ballot box, one is kept for your personal records. An automated verification, with proof.

Because minorities do not have computers, phones, cars, ID of any kind, electricity or running water... duh...

Yeah, those pesky phones that they use to video crimes are in almost everyone's hands. Hell, even my dad still has a free Obama phone.

a reply to: dug88

You know what, I'm loving the USPs ambition, and possibly patriotism, here.

To qoute from the opening lines of the patent

"Abstract
A voting system can use the security of blockchain AND THE MAIL to provide a reliable voting system. A registered voter receives a computer readable code IN THE MAIL and confirms identity and confirms correct ballot information in an election...."

So, 'Blockchain' mentioned once, and 'Mail' mentioned twice in the first 40 words.

I think this is a 'fake and flawed play' to keep USPS central in any discussions. They now have the patent, even if it wont really be viable.

If you really wanted to do it with new tech it would be outsourced with Government oversight.

All the same the technology scares seems fair comment to me. Computerwold calls it right with "...while blockchain networks may be able to handle small absentee voter populations, the technology could not stand up to use by the general voter populace and its volumes."

You would need Amazon on board to make this viable, ifbonly in terms of storage.

originally posted by: IAMTAT
Why are people allowed to line up to buy crap at Walmart...but it's not safe for them to line up to vote?

Walmart gives me the option to stay home and have their products mailed to me. I want the same option from the government when it comes to voting. I am afforded that option, thankfully, but my faith in USPS to handle it properly is starting to fade as the Trump Administartion is actively changing things. Oh well, there's a secure ballot drop at the court house here

a reply to: IAMTAT

My daughter in law works at meijer and says the same thing .She has been exposed to this from day one and as far as she knows hasn't gotten the virus . So vote in person or absentee that's it

a reply to: 10uoutlaw

So vote in person or absentee that's it

Totally agree!

Absentee requires that you, the voter, apply to your state election officials for a ballot. You fill it out, sign it, and return it. The election officials go through a process to approve it. Heavy penalties can result if you falsify information.

This mass willy-nilly mail-out-mail-in voting is STUPID.

I'm all for modernizing the voting system, but I don't trust any system beimg heralded and implemented in kess than two months. Maybe within the next decade and implemented with local elections first. But modernizing brings about all new risks; it doesn't necessarily mean any such system will be more secure or fool proof.

My opinion: not ready for Prime Time yet. The election is too soon.

originally posted by: IAMTAT
Why are people allowed to line up to buy crap at Walmart...but it's not safe for them to line up to vote?

Because since the Republicans started removing polling stations from everywhere, theres about a hundred Walmarts for every polling place. The lines and wait times are going to be intolerable (which is what Trump is counting on - it is the only way he can come close).

Now if you want to set up every Walmart as a polling place, maybe you would have something a little more do-able.

Mail in or don’t mail in
Stand in line or don’t stand in line
Massive fraud or no fraud

The dEms don’t stand a chance

“Popular Vote” is about to become an extremely ‘triggering’ term

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: Notoneofyou

Why can't we just require the use of Real ID?

Fill out your ballot, put your I'd in a box prepared for it, make 2 copies.

One goes in the ballot box, one is kept for your personal records. An automated verification, with proof.

Because minorities do not have computers, phones, cars, ID of any kind, electricity or running water... duh...

BUll. Intial IDs are free in 99 percent of states.

originally posted by: dug88
a reply to: AScrubWhoDied

In experimental attacks on a reproduction of the
system, we demonstrate how such attackers could target
the election servers or voters’ clients to alter election results
or undermine the legitimacy of the system. 

This has been proven to be capable and demonstrated through a real world example using an actual in place blockchain based election system that actually exists.

Link to a white paper that would most certainty exist for such a claim.

originally posted by: yuppa

BUll. Intial IDs are free in 99 percent of states.

SHhhh, that goes against the liberal narrative of voter suppression. If I was a minority I would be pissed that the left is assuming I'm not the same as everyone else...That I need a special voter short bus because I can't vote like everyone else.

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: yuppa

BUll. Intial IDs are free in 99 percent of states.

SHhhh, that goes against the liberal narrative of voter suppression. If I was a minority I would be pissed that the left is assuming I'm not the same as everyone else...That I need a special voter short bus because I can't vote like everyone else.

OH i got what you were doing now.

Well here's a conspiracy we can all get our teeth into...

You know that the Post Office handles something in the neighborhood of 1.5 BILLION Christmas cards every year without too many problems (never mind a hundred million postal votes)?

And you know how every damn year, there's a war on Christmas (just ask anyone on Faux Gnus)?

Obviously, getting rid of posting boxes, sorting machines, overtime, delivery trucks, and generally anything then can to cripple the PO

... IS PART OF THAT WAR ON CHRISTMAS.

The TRUMPISTAS are sabotaging the USPS because they hate Christmas and they hate Hallmark and they hate families and they hate Jesus.

This needs to be KNOWN!

I support movement towards a shared-turst, cryptographically secured ledger system (i.e. Blockchain) for our voting infrastucture.

Thais said, no way do I want one to be put in place right now, in the 2020 elections, because I feel that's too soon, and not enough testing has been done

Just a word about blockchain and anonymity: it's true there is no system within most coin types that use block chain to protect your privacy, nor your identity. Remember, part of the deal is /shared trust/ every transaction must be transparent, visible and verifiable. Nevertheless, these ledger systems also don't directly incorporate your personal identification or name or any other user info as an ID when writing out the blockchain data. Instead, participants use 'keys', fairly lengthy pseudorandom strings generated in a cryptographuically secure way to make them difficult to guess or duplicate, to represent their payments/withdrawals in the ledger. This is your 'serial number' for your specific transaction(s) against the blockchain. The thing is, you can keep re-using the same 'serial number' for all of your transactions, you can re-use it only for a few transaction, or you can just create a new 'key' for every transaction. More on why this could be potentially impact elections in a second.

So, if only these somewhat random key 'serial numbers' link me as participant to blockhain transaction, and I can either re-use or always re-create new keys every time, how could anyone's personal identity ever be extracted from this system. It seems almost like it' d be impossible to dox someone off of cryptocoins usage, right? WRONG. There are many methods and applications/tools to help look for forensic trails of those who leave clues behind on their identity based on behavioral traits of how they use their cryptocoin. Where do you spend it, what times and frequency do you transact, with whom do you trade it, what do you buy, do you always switch currencies at one of the big changing shops (CoinBase). If one is not careful in how they utilize and transact with their cryptocoins, it shouldn't be hard to trace transactions and keys off the ledge back to them personally, effectively doxxing them.

Getting back to the idea of key re-use frequency, I feel that if/when a ledger-based voting system is in place, //there should be 1-time key generation that is good for a single person, for a single election// No re-use of keys across primaries, different level elections, state, fed, etc. While the simplicity and ease of assigning a voter a single, immutable key seems advantageous, re-using keys across the ledger is setting up a situation where voter records can be extracted out of the ledger by analyzing key use patterns in city/state/local elections, times used, place, candidates, etc Better to be safe and make the voting keys single use only.

There's so much to look forward to in this approach, if we get things right

originally posted by: projectvxn
I'm OK with this and believe it will be the future if secure elections. The technology is proven and should be explored as a means of voting for 3 main reasons:

Security. Once a vote is cast it cannot be changed. The consensus model just won't let you change a vote or double cast a single vote in any given election. It will be counted.

Ensured secrecy through cryptography and a public/private ledger system.

Increased voter participation due to ease of access and identity security through a blockchain based voter ID system.

Yes, this is a good breakdown of the benefits of blockchain system vxn.

As you point out: voting records in the system are
* immutable (can never be changed)
* secure (vote must be verified and security signed by other trusted participants in the ledger)
* transparent (EVERYBODY sees the outcome immediately, no slip ups, re counts hanging chad)

The thing they'll need to work out is preventing a human being from casting /more than 1 vote/ into the system, though this is likely going to involve human security and ID restrictions as much as tech to pull off.

originally posted by: rnaa

originally posted by: IAMTAT
Why are people allowed to line up to buy crap at Walmart...but it's not safe for them to line up to vote?

Because since the Republicans started removing polling stations from everywhere, theres about a hundred Walmarts for every polling place. The lines and wait times are going to be intolerable (which is what Trump is counting on - it is the only way he can come close).

Now if you want to set up every Walmart as a polling place, maybe you would have something a little more do-able.

Yeah, uh huh. Republicans can remove polling stations from Democrat ran cities, in Democrat ran states, with Democrat governors, and Dem Senator/Congress. Sounds like Democrats are either completely inept and shouldn't be in office or they were in on whatever decisions were made.

Electronic voting will not be secure until Quantum Encryption makes it impossible to hack, you can bet somebody somewhere is developing a way to hack the Blockchain. IMHO there is nothing to beat simple Pen and Paper, so it takes a while to count, yes but there is a paper trail literally. The real problem is voter suppression, limiting of ballot stations which create massive queues, active or inactive status regulations which go completely against any Democratic Constitution, and the list goes on. A third Party is required along with paper voting without limitation, if you are an American Citizen you get a vote that nobody should deny you. The truth is that both the Republicans and the Democrats are two arms of the Corporate Party and they both suppress the same group of people .... At least in a Banana Republic there is no pretence of Democracy.

I'm old enough that I still remember the "Die Bold Machine" scandal around GW Bush's reelection.

Even if a block chain system were perfectly secure, and there was no way at all for a skilled hacker, or insider to rig it to give the wrong count, there is still a chance people might believe it did.

Our voting system can't afford to suffer any losses to its credibility.