Feedback from those involved has been overwhelmingly positive - "Almost all participants found it easy to vote digitally" says local news outlet Swissinfo.
The factors they evaluated to determinate if it was a success include voter privacy & secrecy, and that votes were both verifiable, and unchangeable.
While this pilot program was just a 'test' with a non-binding vote, Swiss officials believe the ability for someone to have a digital identity secured by blockchain technology could eventually help citizens streamline many other aspects of how they interact with the government - from filing taxes to paying traffic and parking tickets.
Keeping with a common theme among true blockchain evangelists, the City of Zug has also committed to sharing their code and keeping it open source, saying:
"We believe that this technology should not belong to a single company. We will build the e-voting platform 'Open Source' so that people can understand what the technology is and how it works. We want to encourage more people to develop blockchain-based applications for governments worldwide."
There's a similar program also entering a test phase in the United States, specifically West Virginia. The program there will begin with US Military personal currently overseas, allowing them to vote in their states Senate election remotely. They believe there are some major advantages to both the voter and the state, and that the ability to vote digitally and securely will one day replace mailing absentee ballots to citizens currently outside of the country.
All of this brings up an interesting possibility - the masses are likely to be introduced to blockchain technology first though something besides cryptocurrency. But naturally, once the public sees how it improves one area of life, seeing the benefits cryptocurrencies offers over older traditional financial systems also becomes more apparent.
Author: Justin Derbek
New York News Desk
