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by Spooky23 2523 days ago
I think the use case that blockchain potentially provides is an electronic version of a paper ledger.

With a database, you require a persistent connection to the database to have integrity. With a blockchain solution, you can build meshes of local connectivity that sync up.

I'm not a specialist in the area, and I don't think that blockchain is an end-all, be-all. But it does potentially add value.
2 comments
RL_Quine 2523 days ago
> With a database, you require a persistent connection to the database to have integrity. With a blockchain solution, you can build meshes of local connectivity that sync up.

Nothing about what you described requires a block chain, dump the database to raw SQL and GPG sign it, distribute on your website. It's not like the information ever changes once the vote is done.

Nobody suggesting this as a solution is an expert either.

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Spooky23 2523 days ago
That may well be a great way to solve the problem.

I'm not saying that blockchain is the answer, just that blockchain is one potential answer, and may have attributes that makes it subjectively better for this use case.

In my state, counties and some cities administer elections, and may semi-independently make product and process selections. There are definitely blockchain-based solutions intended to allow affiliated, independent entities to productively interact. That capability may be of interest to policy folks.

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icebraining 2523 days ago
Blockchain = PoW/PoS + signed Merkle Trees

Blockchain - PoW/PoW = signed Merkle Trees

A simple example of the latter is a Git repo. You can just require the commits to be signed. Easy to work with, no need for new code.

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