West Virginia this fall will let members of themilitary and their families deployed overseas to vote by smartphone or tablet using a blockchain-based app developed by Boston start-up, Voatz.The voters using the app would otherwise have to submit paper absentee ballots via mail or vote over a land line telephone.The move means the state will become the first in the United States to use blockchain in a voting system in a general election.[ Further reading: What is blockchain The most disruptive tech in decades ]After being elected in January 2017, West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner tasked IT staff to investigate mobile voting options for 8,000 West Virginian military members overseas.
Warner, a retired United States Army officer with four children who are also all current or former Army officers, cited his own inability to vote when deployed in Afghanistan as one reason for his efforts.