New York Assemblyman Pushes for Blockchain to Secure U.S. Elections

Hold onto your hats, folks! A New York assemblyman just dropped a bombshell bill to dive deep into how blockchain tech can lock down voters' data tighter than a drum during U.S. elections.

Assembly Bill AA7716: The Game Changer

New York State Assembly member Clyde Vanel is behind Assembly Bill AA7716, and he's not messing around. This bill is all about exploring how blockchain can be the superhero that protects voter personal records and keeps election results as safe as Fort Knox.

Right now, the bill's getting grilled by the Assembly Election Law Committee, waiting to hit the legislative floor for a vote. If it makes it through, it'll need to run the gauntlet at both the Assembly and State level before landing on the governor's desk for the final stamp of approval.

Vanel's bill is calling out the New York Board of Elections to get their hands dirty with a formal study. They need to figure out how blockchain can beef up U.S. elections, especially when it comes to shielding voter records and keeping election results as clear as day.

The bill's not playing around—it's ordering the New York State Board of Elections to team up with the Office of Information Technology Services and pull in the big guns: experts in blockchain, cybersecurity, voter fraud, and election systems.

If this bill gets the green light, the Board of Elections has one year to spill the beans on their findings. And they better come correct with examples of how other states have been using similar tech to keep their elections on the up and up.

Vanel's no stranger to the crypto and blockchain scene. He's been pushing the envelope, even teaming up with Maryland delegate Adrian Boafo to get Democratic lawmakers to set up a federal crypto regulatory framework. Back in 2017, he tried to get a similar bill off the ground, but it didn't make the cut.

Blockchain in Elections: Not Just a Pipe Dream

Using blockchain to lock down elections isn't some wild new idea. Back in March 2024, Rarimo launched the Freedom Tool, a digital identity protocol that's all about shaking up electoral systems with blockchain magic.

Forget your old-school voting methods—the Freedom Tool uses blockchain and identity management to make every vote as anonymous as a secret agent and as verifiable as a fingerprint.

Fast forward to October 2024, and Rarimo's Freedom Tool got real when the Georgian opposition party, the United National Movement, rolled out United Space. This identity app, powered by Rarimo, was the star of the show ahead of their parliamentary elections.

The app's blockchain tech gave voters a system that was tighter than a drum—no privacy violations, no voter manipulation. It also wrapped voters in a cloak of anonymity that traditional systems can only dream of.