The Associated Press Successfully Logs 2020 Election Votes on the Blockchain

The Associated Press had promised to integrate the nascent blockchain technology into the 2020 general elections. Well, the news medium did follow through, logging the results of the polls on a blockchain platform. 

2020 Makes History Again 

On Saturday, blockchain encyclopedia service Everipedia confirmed that the recent election results were posted on the blockchain via its platform, the Everipedia OraQle. This would make 46th United States President Joe Biden the first Commander-in-Chief whose win is confirmed on the blockchain. 

The Associated Press makes history calling the winner of the US presidential election on the blockchain using the Everipedia OraQle. @JoeBiden is the first president to have his win recorded on the #EOS and #Ethereum blockchains. #AP #Everipedia #Chainlink https://t.co/kwU7wZTUu6 pic.twitter.com/6y5K7dKUll

— IQ.wiki (@IQWIKI) November 7, 2020

The Associated Press is one of the world’s most trusted news sources. The company, which has been measuring and reporting vote counts since 1984, played a pivotal role in last week’s polls and was one of the news sources to take a conservative approach to vote-logging. 

The news medium confirmed that it would partner with Everipedia last month, which would see them project blockchain results to the latter’s blockchain. As Decrypt explained at the time, Everipedia would display results in real-time, using its ESO-enabled blockchain infrastructure and some help from blockchain project Chainlink. 

Dwayne Desaulniers, the Director of Data Licensing at the Associated Press, explained to Decrypt that the initiative ensures their ability to blaze the trail for vote counting and declaring election winners. He added that blockchain would help improve transparency and trust in the electoral process and their ability to cast votes correctly. 

A representative from Everipedia explained that the process would involve AP cryptographically signing its cryptographic keys to the company’s Chainlink-powered data oracle. Using the oracle, they will be able to connect the election results directly to a blockchain.

“This ‘oracle-as-a-service’ platform will be offered to industry-leading organizations to publish data feeds directly on the blockchain,” said a representative from Everipedia. He added that the platform could also serve publishing and data companies and improve their operations. 

Potential for More Blockchain Involvement

While many other news sources tended to jump the gun when calling votes for candidates, the Associated Press showed true journalistic integrity and was patient till the last count. Eventually, it called the election for Democrat candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden after winning in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and crossed the 270 electoral college threshold. 

The application of blockchain in this election is laudable, especially considering how well it turned out. However, considering the technology’s potential, there’s no doubt that it could do more to help the United States’ electoral process. Blockchain voting is already making the rounds, with countries like South Korea and Russia doing their bit to test the technology. It could also have some significant use in the United States, especially as the country is now plagued with accusations of voter fraud. 

In the face of his crushing loss, incumbent President Donald Trump has refused to accept defeat and is now alleging voter fraud in several swing states. With its ability to ensure security and speed, blockchain could bolster the electoral process and eliminate this possibility.