Sierra Leone: Blockchain Was Only Tested During Our Recent Elections, Not Fully Implemented
TechnologyBit News Today2 min read
In the west African country of Sierra Leone, the recent elections, which were held in June, featured the testing of a blockchain-based voting system. While some excitement was generated by the testing of this technology, it is important to clarify that blockchain voting was only tested in a small, controlled way, and not fully implemented across the country. ## Remote Polling Stations
The blockchain voting system was tested at a small number of remote polling stations. These stations used the Agoria mobile polling application, a project developed by the Sierra Leonean government in collaboration with a private tech company. The Agoria platform allows for the electronic tallying of votes. It does this by recording votes on a blockchain which then allows for a transparent and easily verifiable tally of the voting data.
At these polling stations, the Agoria platform was used to tally the votes cast. The votes were recorded on a blockchain which would allow for a transparent and easily verifiable tally of the voting data. This was the only way in which the Agoria platform was involved in the country's elections this year. ## Fixed Physical Polling Stations
At the vast majority of polling stations in Sierra Leone, the traditional paper ballot system was used. Generally, these are the fixed, physical polling locations that are used for most of the country's elections. At these locations, the Agoria platform was not used at all.
It is important to note that the choice of where to deploy the Agoria platform was a deliberate one. The Sierra Leonean comission chose to deploy the platform in a small number of remote locations, rather than the fixed, physical polling stations. This was because the Agoria platform is designed to be used in locations where it is difficult or impossible to use a physical polling location. For example, in hard to reach rural areas, areas affected by flooding, or areas that are particularly unstable. ## Some Reasons for Deploying Blockchain
The Sierra Leonean government has discussed a number of reasons for deploying the blockchain platform in future elections. These include:
- The transparent and easily verifiable nature of the blockchain platform - The potential to reduce election-related disputes - The potential to increase voter turnout, especially in remote areas - The potential to reduce the costs of running elections ## Details on Election Outcome
In the end, the winner of the Sierra Leonean election was the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The SLPP won over two thirds of seats in the legislative elections.
The SLPP did not have to rely on the Agoria platform at all to win. The vast majority of voting in Sierra Leone was done on paper ballots, with the Agoria platform only being used in a very small number of polling locations.
This means that, in the end, the Agoria platform and the benefits of the blockchain platform did not make any significant impact on the outcome of the election.
Despite this, the Sierra Leonean government has stated that they are open to using the Agoria platform in future elections. They believe that the platform can help to improve the transparency and security of elections in Sierra Leone, even in the face of ongoing challenges like flooding and political instability.
