Switzerland’s ‘Crypto Valley’ Plans To Test Blockchain Voting

As part of a blockchain based voting test, residents of the Swiss city, Zug, will use the city’s eID system to vote using their smartphones this month according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Starting June 25 to July 1, residents will register to vote by downloading an app.

Home to what is referred to as the “Crypto Valley” as a result of its several blockchain startups, the city created its eID system in November 2017 and presently has about 200 users. Zug presently receives cryptocurrencies to make city transactions.

Voters will be asked several questions including if they are confident that digital identifications should be used for paying parking fees and to borrow library books. Additionally, they will be asked if the digital IDs should be used for future referendums.

However, since the polling is just a test, the results of the votes will not be valid. The city is trying to see if blockchain technology can be effective on a wider scale.

The eIDs were introduced by the city to provide digital access for council services on a trial basis.  Users will have complete control over their data during the test.

The voting trial will be the country’s first electronic polling test. By the end of the year, the government hopes that two-thirds of the country’s cantos to provide electronic voting.

The Zug electronic ID system is not the first of such systems in the country.

Another eID system in Canton Schaffhausen, introduced with the help of Procivis, is not a blockchain. This system offers access to tax, road traffic, child protection and other departments.

Furthermore, a national digital ID system referred to as SwissSign was introduced last year by a private consortium including two banks, insurance firms, a stock exchange operator, Swiss Post, and Swiss Federal Railways.