This unhackable technology can make mobile voting more secure
Will blockchain technology make secure mobile voting a reality?
Tusk Holdings CEO Bradley Tusk on the push to implement the technology that would allow voters to use their smartphones instead of heading to the polls.
The man responsible for making Uber legal nationwide is making a big mobile-voting push.
"Instead of having to wait in line, in the rain, on a random Tuesday, and leave work," said Tusk Holdings CEO Bradley Tusk to FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on Friday. "I want you to pull out your phone and securely, over the blockchain, vote in elections so that it’s much easier to vote."
Blockchain is a privately held company backed by investors from Silicon Valley and Wall Street including Lightspeed and Virgin, and a platform used to safely distribute digital information. The technology is also a big reason for Tusk’s nudge.
"Blockchain is unhackable," he said.
The idea was tested last year in the West Virginia election for deployed military members. According to Tusk it was a success.
"It worked," he said. "We ran four different security audits. They all came back clean and now we are expanding around the country."
Tusk added that he funded the initiative through his foundation with excess cash he earned from Uber and is not financially benefiting from the system.
Although some people still don’t have a smartphone, according to Tusk, between 78 and 95 percent of Americans currently use mobile technology. And because of this, he’s not in favor of completely doing away with the current voting system. However, he would like to see this become a reality within the next 10 years.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
Tusk added that many politicians have scoffed at the idea.
"A lot of them are not [in favor of it] because they have figured out how to game the system and get elected and the last thing they want to do is make it easier for them to lose their job," he said. "So they like things the way they are… but we’ve got to have a way to get more people voting."
A record number of Americans participated in the 2018 midterm elections.