A New York assemblyman has introduced legislation that urges the State Board of Elections to explore how blockchain technology might be employed to safeguard voter data during elections in the U.S.
According to the official documentation from Assembly member Clyde Vanel, Assembly Bill AA7716 seeks to investigate the potential role of blockchain in protecting personal voter information as well as ensuring the integrity of election results.
As of now, the bill is under examination by the Assembly Election Law Committee and is awaiting a legislative vote. If it progresses, it will need to be approved at both the Assembly and State levels before being sent to the governor for final approval.
The proposed legislation calls for a structured study by the New York Board of Elections to assess how blockchain technology could enhance the electoral process, particularly in terms of securing voter records and ensuring transparency in election outcomes.
The bill requires the New York State Board of Elections to work in conjunction with the Office of Information Technology Services and to seek guidance from experts experienced in blockchain, cybersecurity, voter fraud prevention, and election systems.
If the bill is enacted, the New York Board of Elections will be obligated to present the findings of their study within one year after the bill is enacted. The report will need to include instances of how other states have adopted similar technological approaches in their electoral processes.
A long-time proponent of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, Vanel has recently collaborated with Maryland delegate Adrian Boafo to advocate for the establishment of a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrency by Democratic lawmakers. He also introduced a comparable bill in 2017, which unfortunately did not pass.
The application of blockchain technology to protect elections is not a novel idea. In March 2024, Rarimo, a permissionless zero-knowledge registry, launched a digital identity protocol known as the Freedom Tool, intended to transform electoral systems using blockchain technology.
In contrast to traditional voting methods, the Freedom Tool employs blockchain and identity management to ensure that every vote remains anonymous and verifiable.
By October 2024, the Freedom Tool was integrated into a government electoral system when the Georgian opposition party, the United National Movement, released United Space—a blockchain-powered identity app—just before its parliamentary elections.
The technology behind the app provided voters with a mechanism free of privacy concerns and potential voter manipulation, ensuring that citizens enjoyed a level of anonymity that conventional electoral systems could not guarantee.