‘Blockchain’ – The Hot New Buzzword In Politics and Government

I get it, these are uncertain and trying times. Routine life, as we know it, has changed out of nowhere and it seems as if we are “just wingin’ it.”  But there are things that go on specifically in the Political world that come across as simply crazy or manipulative when involving niche subjects.  I saw one this week that absolutely blew my mind.

Mindy Robinson wrote an article recently titled Clark County Bends to Democrats; Allows Ballot Harvesting and I was “triggered” (no pun intended) over such an alarming statement.  Turns out it’s true and it makes absolutely no sense for a GOP backed initiative, specifically in Nevada, to rush to the idea of allowing Mail-In Voting. Here’s why:

  • Nevada is a blockchain-friendly state
  • The GOP’s core values should align with Voter ID preventing Voter Fraud

Imagine inviting Elon Musk to your party and he requests extra parking space for his Hummer?!

Is it even possible that the Politicians in Nevada do not understand that they are friendly to blockchain initiatives? Blockchain, after all, holds a lot of bipartisan support.  Take into consideration the fact that Nevada (somehow) is a “Blue State” and it was Governor Steve Sisolak, that passed a multitude of blockchain bills into law.

Senator Ben Kieckhefer, a Republican representing Reno, NV has been advocating blockchain use with tremendous success.  Remember, blockchain is not all about cryptocurrency, it’s about ease of automation in transactions involving morals and transparency with a public ledger. Morals and transparency… sound political at all?

Speaking of Reno, NV, a company that put together a pilot digital marriage certificate system using blockchain with the Washoe County Recorder’s Office was welcomed with open arms. It was quoted as being “wildly successful” and used by 3,400 people. The per-certificate cost to the recorder was nearly 30 percent less than the paper version and was processed within 24 hours, arriving in the applying couple’s email.

So why is it absurd that the Nevada GOP would so quickly rush to Mail-In Voting and shave an entire month off of Primary Campaigning? It makes absolutely no sense at all. We have a flurry of “Digital Dollar” and “Blockchain Wallet” bills entering the House now for Coronavirus Stimulus plans, on both the Left and Right sides of the counter.  We are discussing “remote voting,” possibly through blockchain technology, because Nancy Pelosi doesn’t want to return to D.C. over COVID-19 concerns.

Everyone is in favor of using blockchain technology to solve our Nation’s problems… except for voting in Nevada, by the GOP of all groups?  One of the Nation’s most blockchain-friendly states on the map?! I shouldn’t have to be asking these questions out loud and it seems to be that experts agree.

I spoke with Timothy Robinson, CEO of Bits & Tokens, and he told me, “What this means is that, once you cast your vote, its cast forever and EVERYONE can see it. They won’t see you personally, they’ll just see the idea, law, person, etc that “someone” voted for. The whole system automatically tallies each vote and the results are available to all.”

He continued with, “The system wouldn’t even be hard to deploy. A driver’s license number or social security number could be used to initially verify a voter, and then an alphanumeric pseudonym (think, wallet address) would be generated. We NEED to bring transparency and trust into our democracy.”

Needless to say, I agree with Tim. Using blockchain to prove a case and solidify the idea of trustworthy transparent voting with no bias, only makes sense. Throw in the fact that it would be Nevada, (again, a bipartisan blockchain friendly state) paving the way to this future for all is icing on the cake.

But no, not the GOP in Nevada, who claim to advocate for Voter ID laws. They would rather rush going backwards and deploy Mail-In Voting and shave an entire month off of campaigning for these Front Runners.  We could use that month to develop the technology and begin marketing it. It would probably only take a week since the technology already exists.

We are not asking Politicians to become computer-geeks. We’re not asking them to mine bitcoin and host an opinion on technical data with out a STEM background. People like me are simply asking our Leaders to be aware of what progress can be made in protecting ourselves as voters, as residents, and as citizens. Transparency and morals require no science degree, just common sense. People like me want to see more politicians embracing the use (and they are) of this new distributed ledger based technology. The kicker is: Nevada is already onboard!

From Marriage Certificates to Data Integrity, Reno NV has it all in blockchain. Need to vote with special conditions like social distancing? Let’s go backwards and use the mail system. Go ahead and become the next Broward County, FL in terms of progress. Our next headline can be something like “Nevada Man insists he voted for…”

While you’re busy watching WWE Style showdowns in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District election, ask yourself who’s fighting for morals and protecting the locals.  It’s like some of them want to represent you and they don’t even realize where they live: The state that could potentially invent permanent blockchain voting with good reason, but that’s just my .02 BTC.

 www.mindyrobinsonforcongress.com

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