CATALONIA CAN APPLY BLOCKCHAIN IN THE ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEM
The government of Catalonia is considering the use of blockchain technologies in the electronic voting system, the local newspaper Vanguardia reported on November 19th .
In October, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the highest self-government body of the Autonomous community of Catalonia, approved a preliminary bill on the establishment of an electronic voting system for residents abroad. Ismael Peña-Lopez of the Catalan government said that the electronic voting system will be applicable to the entire electorate and will be available by 2020.
According to Peña-Lopez, who is also Professor of law and political science at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), despite the fact that the Generalitat has not yet made a final decision, the use of distributed registry technology in the electronic voting system is likely.
Earlier, in July, the Catalan government announced plans to introduce blockchain into administrative processes to improve “digital services for the public”, and about a year ago, Catalonia also planned to create a digital currency and e-residency program.
In October of this year, the Spanish news agency El Confidencial reported that the former President of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont requested financial support in cryptocurrencies. According to the publication El Mundo, he used bitcoins to finance initiatives to promote the independence of Catalonia.
Recall that this summer in the Swiss crypto-valley in the city of Zug, the first municipal voting on the blockchain was held, and the blockchain voting system was tested in the Japanese city of Tsukuba. In August, the state of West Virginia tested the blockchain application for mobile voting and offered to use it in the next elections.
