Blockchain is sometimes referred to as “distributed ledger technology” (DLT), because it behaves like a general ledger, with debits on the left side and credits on the right. Unlike a company’s general ledger, which typically exists on a single computer, the blockchain ledger is distributed across multiple, geographically separated servers. These servers are called “verifiers” because their purpose is to verify the authenticity of the individual blocks, each of which contains groups of anonymous votes. Once a server verifies a block, it is added to the collection of other previously verified blocks—the blockchain network. Each block is replicated across the entire network of verifying servers and cannot be changed.
For more general information on how blockchain works, we recommend starting with the videos listed in the Additional Resources section at the bottom of this page.
Once the voter has been verified on the Voatz app, their jurisdiction initiates the voting process by sending a ballot to their mobile device. For the voter, this ballot contains the same information as a paper ballot. Contained in the mobile ballot are “tokens“—think of them as potential votes—which are cryptographically tied to a candidate or ballot measure question. The number of tokens a voter receives is the same as the number of ovals that would appear on a paper ballot. The voter makes their desired selections in the Voatz app, and as they do so, each selection alters the tokens (like filling in a ballot oval).
Once submitted, the votes for choices on the ballot are verified by multiple distributed servers called “verifiers”, or validating nodes. Upon verification, the token is debited (i.e. subtracted) from the voter’s ledger and credited (i.e. added) to the candidate’s ledger. The blockchain on every verifier is automatically updated and the process repeats as additional voters submit their selections.
For more info, please view the brief video clip showing where blockchain enters the voting process on the Security & Technology page of our website.