How to Solve Our National Voting System during COVID-19
A presidential election is coming up. Whether you hate or love our current president, the 2020 election will define our nation for years to come. With COVID-19 redefining the way we live, voting this election would play a factor in that and could define the next four years.
Recently, there has been chatter about mail-in voting. It’s obvious a standard and safe way to vote-no matter what the president says–however, taking a step back, and actually looking at our system– I feel there are two ways to drastically improve it.
Option A: Having Apple securely record and maintain all voting.
Sound crazy? Hear me out.
Apple has a long-standing history with being secure and in recent years taking the privacy of users very seriously. IOS software is very secure. A majority of people in the US either have an iOS device or Android. Apple can create a voting system that is both for its mobile devices and web. The application can be baked into iOS in fear of anything being “rigged”. Access to their servers to alter or change anything can be very low risk-practically none.
Since most people have iOS devices the app can be pushed to users' devices during election week. This would avoid any crashes to manually grab it from the app store. The voting process would use your personal information such as name, address, and social security. This shouldn’t be a problem for Apple since they already started a credit card program having all Apple user's personal information to open a credit card. They have a secure Apple Sign in, which can come in handy for this situation taking privacy to heart. To add another layer of security a user would be registered a voting identification number only to them, Ex. AK7DG18VX064. This would act as a two-step authentication to avoid any revoting for a candidate. This number would be viewed similar to a social security number. Never give it out.
Once all that information is entered, you can start voting on your mobile device. It would only take a couple of minutes. This will solve for multiple things:
- Potentially contracting COVID-19.
- Anyone needing to go to the polls in person, wait in long lines, taking off of work
- Apple's ability to provide accessibility designs for anyone with a disability.
- Provide more accurate numbers so no one is paranoid about results.
One your vote is recorded it is digitally stored onto their servers. If you try to vote again, the voting ID # would kick in and not allow you to vote.
Entering a false one would not work either because it's tied into your identity just like a social security number. After the day is over the results are published publically and sent to the necessary sources.
What about Android users?
I’m not as familiar with android, but if their OS can also have the same voting app baked in-great problem solved, but if they don't, Apple would have a web-based version of the app that allows you to vote. You’d just sign in with your Apple ID (anyone can create one), use the two-step authentication for security or Apple Sign-in. The same information would again be input for the voting on the web version of the app (name, address, social, voting identification number).
If this option was done, then there would be no in-person voting. Yes, for mail-in. But this would be determined months ahead with registration via mail-in or digital. No confusion. For the older folks, hopefully, by this point, they know how to use a computer or mobile device, but if not they have the option to mail it in.
Option B: A Voting Identification Card.
This idea can tie into the one above. When people play the lottery in Australia, they are given a lottery card with an identification number. This number is registered to you- No one else. If you purchase a ticket, the card is scanned or swiped. If the ticket is a winning ticket, that ticket is associated with that identification number. No one can “steal” the ticket or if you lose it, you’re still eligible for the winnings. Same concept, but for voting.
As stated above you would get a card mailed to your home with an identification number. It’s tied into you like a social security card. Only you can have it. There will be a website to go vote online at some secure website. You input this identification number & social, and all your info should pop up. You can then start voting. If you wanted to go to the polls, you can, but you would need that card to start the process so your vote is registered and can’t “vote again”. This one might be a literal more vulnerable due to foreign interference, but hopefully having that card would allow for more accurate voting.
I’m sure there is technical security stuff I’m not aware of on the back end and feel free to point that out in the comments, but just a general thought on how the system can vastly improve. I know I’m making a lot of assumptions, but its just a conceptual idea. I also don’t believe Apple would rig the election or adjust results. The idea is that the it would be housed on servers. No one can access or see them.
I’m not one for politics. I’m just providing an opinion of a POTENTIAL better and safer experience. I love to hear any thoughts.
