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Elections are essential in democratic societies to ensure the legitimacy of governance and empower people. However, a robust verification systems safeguard the electoral process against the menace of fake candidates, preserving the integrity of elections. Real candidates are of course, possible. However, fake candidates and contenders, be they so-called paper candidates, ghost candidates, or persons who don’t meet the legal requirement for standing for elections, are a disgrace to the electoral system. But they may also play with the voting process itself drive the voters apart and erode public confidence in democratic institutions. Implementing blockchain verification systems safeguard could further enhance the security and transparency of this process.
Blockchain mitigation of the problem of fake candidates in elections is one promising technological solution. Blockchain technology was first introduced as a form of cryptocurrency specifically Bitcoin, then progressed to having many more applicable uses in data security, transparency, and verifiable and tamper-proof records. Along with elections increasingly becoming digital, blockchain’s decentralized and immutable nature provides a potent means of certifying candidates’ legitimacy and preventing electoral fraud.
However, in this article, we will look into how blockchain verification systems can secure elections against fake candidates. We then discuss the challenges posed by fake candidates and how blockchain can be applied to resolve this, so it is transparent, authentic, and free of inconsistency.
Fake Candidates in Elections: The Problem
This is a serious threat to the democratic process: fake candidates. Several types of fake candidates can distort electoral outcomes:
1. Impersonators or Fraudulent Candidates: These are the individuals, who present themselves as legitimate candidates and hence legalize to run for office, but they are not legal. They may do things like manipulate public records, or claim that they meet the requirements for something else to participate.
2. Ghost Candidates: Such are the individuals who show up on the ballot but do not campaign or interface with the voters. However, ghost candidates could be used by the political parties to waste their votes solely to squeeze the vote of the opposition by dividing it.
3. Paper Candidates: Like ghost candidates, also called ‘paper candidates,’ are those that show up on the ballot without any real intent to run. Such people may be nothing but paper tigers, their existence being to grab political leverage or a bit of political cover.
4. Manipulated Electoral Lists: In some instances, election boards can be played with to have such candidates appear in elections who just don’t qualify as required, so some groups can distort the outcome of elections artificially.
Fake candidates exist, proving that trust in the electoral system is broken. If they feel the process is being manipulated or unfair, the voters may become disillusioned. In addition, many fake candidates bring a corrupting influence to the election, rendering it difficult to choose those candidates who truly represent the voter’s interests. That is why it’s important to prevent fake candidates from making ballots.
Blockchain: An Overview
Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed ledger technology; a record of transactions that is cryptographically recorded and difficult to backtrack. Blockchain was originally designed for cryptocurrencies, but its core elements including transparency, immutability, and decentralization, have very important implications for several industries, including elections.
The key features of blockchain that make it a suitable solution for electoral integrity are:
• Decentralization: No entity owns the rights to use the blockchain. Instead, data is validated and secured through the work of multiple participants (nodes).
As opposed to letting one person do it, multiple participants (nodes) are working together to validate and secure the data.
• Transparency: As with all the things on the blockchain all transactions can be viewed by everyone participating in a blockchain there is no way to hide or manipulate information.
• Immutability: When data is put in the blockchain it becomes unchangeable and can’t be tampered with. This prevents any form of fraudulent activity, knowing it will be caught or stopped the moment it occurs.
• Security: The use of the most advanced cryptography starts the protection of data, and it is also resistant to hacking and fraud.
Through these features, blockchain can revolutionize the way elections are run and offer real solutions to combat phony candidates and only eligible individuals appearing on the ballot.
Candidate Verification based on Blockchain verification system
There is a very effective way of verifying the eligibility and legitimacy of candidates by using blockchain technology. With a blockchain-based verification system, electoral authorities can guarantee that only candidates who fulfill the legal requirements will be included on the ballot, reducing greatly the probability of fake candidates being displayed.
1. Eligibility and Registration of Candidate
The core feature of blockchain-based verification systems is the creation of a verified, tamper-proof, transparent registration process for candidates. If a candidate registers to run for office, their personal information (and qualifications) can be put onto the blockchain and is immutable, meaning none of the data can be changed.
For example, the blockchain could store critical information such as:
• Age: Candidates could post verifiable proof of their age, like a birth certificate, on the blockchain and then have it checked against the electoral requirements.
• Citizenship: Government-issued identity records can be stored on the blockchain to confirm a candidate’s citizenship status—only those qualified to do so can run.
• Criminal History: If criminal background checks could be stored on a blockchain-based verification system, then individuals with disqualifying offenses could not run for office safely.
• Educational Qualifications and Professional Experience: Blockchain can also be used to verify a candidate’s academic and professional credentials to make sure he fits the bill to run for certain offices.
Blockchain being decentralized means this information cannot be tampered with. Once those pieces of information are stored on the blockchain, election officials, independent observers, and voters can all crosscheck it to be sure the information is up-to-date and accurate.
2. Multiple Authorities Decentralized Verification
With blockchain, it is possible to verify by several trusted parties, including election authorities and independent observers, among other groups. For instance, government agencies, universities, and professional organizations can append their verifications to the blockchain in the form of a candidate’s credentials verified.
For instance, a candidate’s degree from a university needs to be confirmed by the university itself, which would be recorded on the blockchain. The same goes for a candidate’s professional experience on the one hand or credentials that might be helpful to claim the candidacy on the other. This decentralized process means it’s practically impossible for a candidate to forge their credentials—something that would demand changes to the records of multiple parties on the blockchain, something quite impossible given that the blockchain is immutable.
3. Candidate Information Available to Voters
Blockchain is also capable of offering transparent and accessible information to voters. Voters can get relevant information with proof about the candidates, including their education and previous experience, through a blockchain platform. This ensures the voter decides based on the information given to him or her, so they choose the right candidate for the election.
Blockchain empowers a transparent and tamper-proof system for the candidate information so that any fake or fraudulent candidates are easy to identify and pulled out of the electoral process. By using the blockchain, voters can verify in seconds if a candidate has the credentials they are saying they have, which creates confidence in the voting process.
4. Candidate record value validation through Immutable Records
The immutability of blockchain allows the credibility of registered and verified details of any candidate. As well, this feature is imperative to prevent the abuse of election cycle information about candidates. Suppose that, for example, a candidate tries changing registration details or qualifications once they have been verified; the blockchain would then immediately assume that something is wrong.
5. Preventing Ghost and Paper Candidates
Political parties will often vote by dividing the vote (using ghost and paper candidates). Thanks to the transparency and real-time tracking of blockchain, only candidates who are both active and legitimate will be in the race. The blockchain can track where a candidate gives speeches, where they attend public appearances, and when they are funding their campaign, allowing election officials to monitor who is active in the election and who is staying away.
Blockchains’ transparent system would warn if a candidate fails to participate in the campaign or does not answer voters enough.
Conclusion
The increased cases of fake candidates in the election process make blockchain-based verification systems a proffered solution. Through candidate registration and verification on the blockchain, only authentic candidates come up on the list for the election.
This makes it easier to eliminate ghost and paper candidates who will only stand as compulsory candidates in the race through the use of the blockchain system in elections so that appropriate real-time, self-reporting, and auditing capabilities of the blockchain are the best guarantees that all the glitches may be tracked as and when they occur and therefore contribute to the enhancement of the electoral processes.
Currently, the world is gradually shifting to digital solutions, and blockchain can become a genuine protection against violations and manipulation of the democratic process, providing transparency in elections. To protect the will of the voters, electoral integrity can be achieved in its future developments through applying the technology of the blockchain.
