Voatz is launching mobile voting pilot programs in two new US jurisdictions. The Oregon counties of Jackson and Umatilla will allow overseas voters and active duty military personnel to vote with their smartphones during special elections in November. Those interested in participating can request an absentee ballot and then use the Voatz app to confirm their identity and submit their vote anytime before the 8:00pm PT deadline on November 5.
Jackson and Umatilla are the fourth and fifth jurisdictions to move forward with a mobile voting trial. Voatz has already carried out successful pilots in West Virginia, Denver, and Utah County, with recently completed audits revealing that no votes or personal data were compromised in the latter two instances. Utah County is expanding the scope of its own program based on those results, and will be offering mobile voting to disabled citizens for its November general election.
Utah County is the first US jurisdiction to extend mobile voting services to people other than overseas voters and military personnel, which is a potentially revolutionary development for those looking to make voting more accessible.
“We regularly hear from voters with disabilities who need accommodations in order to vote privately and independently,” said the Disability Law Center’s Sherri Newton. “These voters are excited about the availability of new, developing technologies that allow them to securely vote at home from their own device.”
Voatz has partnered with Tusk Philanthropies, and raised $7 million in Series A funding. The platform leverages blockchain technology to facilitate secure mobile elections.
The National Cybersecurity Center carried out the audits of previous Voatz elections.
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