WHO WILL BELL THE CAT ?

A  Blue  Print  for  VotesApp  ?

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Some 4 years back . I had suggested that we , in India , switch-over to voting in Lok Sabha election , using a mobile app , viz:

VotesApp  ( 18 Dec 2012 )

{ http://www.hemenparekh.in/2013/08/votesapp.html#.WP3WqNKGPcc }

Following research paper ( 03 March 2016 ) , submitted by two researchers in Philippines , not only proves that this is entirely possible but provides a detailed Blue Print ( including User Interfaces for such a mobile app –uncannily similar to what I had described in VotesApp ! )

Philippines Smart App Voting System a Mobile Voting System

{ https://www.ijarcsse.com/docs/papers/Volume_6/3_March2016/V6I3-01301.pdf }

You can also look up this paper at :

www.ijarcsse.com ( Past Issues / 2016 / Vol 613  )

Reinforcing my suggestion , a  TV episode on BBC  ( bbc.click / 23 April 2017 )

{ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/n3ct2k8z  },

show-cased a similar Mobile based Voting App developed by a UK company / www.Smartmatic.com  / whose chairman , Mark Malloch-Brown says :

“ Governments and International Organizations alone cannot build the future we need . Citizen participation is key to complete the equation “

Smartmatic web site claims :

Seven world records

Including the world’s largest automated elections, the first to feature paper receipts, the first to feature biometrically-activated voting sessions – and the world’s fastest voter registration project using biometrics.

Then there is Institute for Digital Democracy  

(https://webrootsdemocracy.org/2017/04/21/online-voting-movements-in-ireland/ ),

which is working for Online Voting in Ireland

A tiny country Estonia introduced Online Voting , way back in 2005 !

Not only for National Elections but also for local elections .

For details , read ,

{ https://nvvb.nl/media/cms_page_media/758/11%20P.%20Vinkel%20Internet%20Voting.pdf }

I-voting Main Principles :

• All major principles of paper-voting are followed

• Voting from any computer connected to the Internet

• Alternative to the paper-ballot

• Digital voter register based on population register

• Voter's identification with eID

• Virtual double envelope scheme

• Public-private key cryptography

•  Virtual voting booth

As for the benefits / savings / revenue-generating potential of VotesApp , do look up :

·         Reforming Elections and Lok Sabha  ( 20  Dec  2016  )

·          

      { https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2016/12/reforming-elections-and-lok-sabha-real.html }

When I think why a Software Super Power such as India is shying away from this epoch-making reform , I am reminded of what Winston Churchill said in his radio broadcast in Oct 1939 :

“ I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma ; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."

When will our 800 + million voters tell the politicians :

“ VotesApp is the KEY to our national self interest . In 2019 national elections , we will not vote in any other way “

26  April  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs