We need only cast our minds back a few months to be reminded of one thing, the universal requirement for secure, reliable and trustworthy voting capability. The disarray that arises as a result of failed trust in an electoral voting system is not something to dismiss. If it can wreak havoc in a country as globally recognized as the United States, imagine the turmoil it causes in places where the eyes of the world aren’t watching.
A man by the name of Adam Dean aims to relegate this issue to the history books, provided he’s successful with his funding proposal. Dean, operator of the Crypto 2099 stake pool and the creator of the #spacecoins faucet, wants to create an on-chain voting system that would eliminate the possibility of voter fraud.
The Team and their Proposal
Dean began developing custom software solutions over a decade ago, in order to serve fringe and underserved industries. Having been fortunate enough to have at times been surrounded by people he could lean on, in times of need, Dean felt compelled to help others. After becoming a full stack developer and acquiring a litany of other qualifications, he found himself attending various IT conventions. It was at one of those that the word ‘blockchain’ made its way into his lexicon, and quickly set him on a new course. His research led him to the work of Charles Hoskinson and inevitably Cardano, which seemed to align with his own set of values.
Headed by Dean and Marco Guerrero, the goal at Crypto 2099 is to provide an on-chain voting mechanism for smaller entities, ones that may currently fly under the radar of the IOG developed Catalyst voting system. Apps such as trade unions/guilds, civic associations, PTA, home-owners associations etc. If successful in their application for funding, the team at Crypto 2099 would be able to devote “dedicated” rather than “donated” time to enhancing the capabilities of the currently working Catalyst voting platform, which uses a standardized JSON schema (open sourced), and attract a larger audience of users. Here are some images from the work they have already generated with this initiative:
“Immutability, identity, and trust are paramount.”
Paying for Voting Legitimacy
Adam is seeking a total of $15,000 to enact his on – chain voting system proposal, which will be allocated as follows.
$1k – Server Hosting and Maintenance for both main and testnet versions of the voting platform (accessible to all). Including, website hosting, domain registration, Cardano db-sync and server administration. They estimate these funds will cover platform costs for one Year.
$6.5K – Development of new and improved features for a ‘Voting 2.0’ platform, including multi-question ballots, stake-weighted voting results, pool delegator voting, long-form ballot descriptions and more. They estimate these funds to cover developer costs for 12 Weeks.
$4k – Hiring of graphic design and copywriters to add a more professional and finished appearance to the platform, making it more palatable to a broader audience, such as those outside the crypto community. This phase is expected to be completed within 12 weeks.
$2.5K – Perform market research, outreach, and advertising. Attempt to identify and attract real-world voting entities, and use cases to use the platform. This may be through traditional and web-based marketing campaigns, or by providing seed funding to bring new users into the ecosystem. Estimated time of completion, 12 weeks.
$1k – Further research and testing/development via Atala Prism and other identity solutions, ones that can provide secure, reliable proof of voter and voting authority eligibility/identity. Estimated to be carried out over 12 weeks.
Final Thoughts
Our expansion into the digital age increases with every passing moment. It seems only natural, if not essential that the dated and flawed voting mechanisms of the past be replaced. Could Adam and the team at Crypto 2099 have the solution?
They’ve proven in the past their more than capable and up to the task. As Dean tackled the challenge of generating a method to vote for Stakepool Operator Collective Representation Assembly (SPOCRA) board members. It was an easy and seamless process which supported the effort for the organization to build structure.
If you’d like to know more information or have questions/comments regarding the on-chain voting proposal, check out the link provided: https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Cardano-On-Chain-Voting/341963-48088
