Blockchain solution for lost votes: EC working with IIT Chennai

The Election Commission of India (EC) is close to solving the problem of ‘lost votes’, The Time of India has reported. Lost votes are those that never get cast because the voter is not present in the hometown

In every election, there are voters who want to cast their votes but are unable to do that as they are far from where they are registered as voters.

Speaking at an event on February 12, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora reportedly said the EC was working with the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, to develop a blockchain system that would allow voters registered in any part of the country to exercise their franchise even after they move cities.

The CEC was hopeful that the blockchain system would be put in place during his tenure.

There are many people in India who have moved from their hometowns in search of jobs, or to study, got married. India has had over 450 million such migrants, as per the data of last count mentioned in the report.

As many of them move temporarily, they do not go through the hassle of registering as voters in their new place of residence, the report said.

In the 2019 elections, 300 million voters did not exercise their rights to vote, a third of India’s total number of voters. While some probably had different reasons for not exercising their franchise, a big majority of voters did not vote because they could not manage to reach their polling booth on voting day.

If a system comes into place for the ‘lost votes’, these voters would be able to participate in the festivals of democracy.