The seemingly boundless enthusiasm for blockchain technology has yet to spill over to those conducting elections around the world.
"It's one of those industries where it doesn't matter how good of a job you do, somebody can just arbitrarily say 'fraud' and it just scares people off," said Pete Martin, founder and chief executive of Votem, an election management company that uses biometric and blockchain methods that it says can make voting easier and more inclusive.
For the 2024 US presidential election, unlike the 2020 poll, Mr Martin said Votem doesn't have any state election boards or municipalities using the company's software to allow people to vote.
Votem's system, according to Mr Martin, allowed for people to submit their vote via patented smartphone software provided by the company. Those votes, in turn, would be stored as a block of data, simultaneously broadcast to a ledger validation system anonymously.
It is a potentially lucrative market. According to Virtue Market Research, the electric voting system sector could reach $1.7 billion in value by 2030.
That market size, combined with increasing concern over election security, has generated significant interest in alternative voting methods.
Votem was able to ride that wave to some extent, and secured technology award nominations and flattering media coverage. Yet turning those alternative voting methods mainstream has proved to be difficult in subsequent years.
In 2016, the company's platform was briefly used in Washington, DC and Montana for recording primary and general election results. It also had success pitching and selling its voting technology to labour unions, private businesses and other organisations that routinely hold elections.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland also used Votem's technology following several years of complications involving music artist inductee elections.
That success, combined with the initial surge in blockchain technology interest, prompted Votem to buy another voter technology company, Everyone Counts, back in 2018.
Yet only several years later, Mr Martin had to restructure the company and layoffs ensued as the lucrative municipality election bodies didn't adopt its much-touted voting technology.
Mr Martin said despite the popularity and proof of concept with regard to decentralised and unalterable databases, which make up the backbone of blockchain technology, there is still fear among many voters and officials who make decisions about election equipment.
"People don't trust software that they don't see," he said, explaining why there is still ample scepticism over blockchain voting platforms. "You have some very authoritative people saying, 'don't trust this, only trust a physical piece of paper that you can mark,'" he said, referring to proponents of physical ballots.
While the overall blockchain voting sector may seem nascent, Votem is far from being alone in the space. Voatz, based in Boston, touts a similar version of the technology.
Using the company's smartphone app in areas where Voatz is implemented, members of the electorate can use their mobiles to vote, and then a paper ballot is generated at the local jurisdiction for tabulation.
According to Voatz's website, its technology has been used to conduct more than 130 elections for government bodies, union elections and professional associations, but it still hasn't had much mainstream success in terms of much-anticipated elections like the US presidential vote.
The website goes to great lengths to debunk the notion that the Voatz platform is similar to the idea of internet voting.
"Internet voting generally refers to the submission of a ballot on a website from a personal computer (PC). This method is highly insecure, as it can be difficult, or even impossible, to detect whether a PC has been compromised," a statement reads.
"In contrast, Voatz is a mobile application that can only be downloaded to recently manufactured smartphones. These phones need to have several advanced security mechanisms, including fingerprint and facial recognition, which Voatz uses for secure voter identity verification and ballot submission."
Several years ago in West Virginia, 24 counties in the state used Voatz for a pilot programme for active military and overseas voters to use blockchain technology, but the company failed to secure long-term commitment from the state amid concerns from various researchers and election experts.
In 2018, a report from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine titled Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy, didn't mince words about efforts to use technology for elections.
"While the notion of using a blockchain as an immutable ballot box may seem promising, blockchain technology does little to solve the fundamental security issues of elections, and indeed, blockchains introduce additional security vulnerabilities," the report read. While blockchain proponents often boast about decentralisation, that very idea goes against the grain of how elections work, it added.
"Public elections are inherently centralised ... requiring that election administrators define the contents of ballots, identify the list of eligible voters, and establish the duration of voting."
The authors of the report also pointed out that the software required to examine the postings on blockchain could become compromised or might be inadvertently flawed. "If such software is corrupted, then verifiability may be illusory," it said.
There is also the overall notion that paper ballots can't be hacked. Yet Mr Martin said such a system can be burdensome for those who need to vote in absentia, or those who might have physical or visual disabilities, among other factors.
"You bank online, you fill out your taxes online and that still makes a lot of sense, right?" he said, when asked about critics of blockchain-based voting platforms. "The politicians making the laws, they don't understand this stuff ... it's so technical to them so they're thinking, 'let's just do paper ballots. It [voting systems] is a very tough industry, and not just in US but around the world."
Meanwhile, as more than 100 million US citizens get ready to vote in the coming presidential election, exactly how they vote will depend on factors such as in which county, city and state they reside.
Some will use optical scan machines, others electric console systems and some will use postal ballots. Potentially complicating matters is that each jurisdiction might have its own method of counting the votes.
In a recent ruling in the state of Georgia, the decision was made to require the hand-counting of ballots on top of the automatic machine counting that takes place.
The move generated controversy among some who found the decision to be superfluous and potentially burdensome, while others insisted it was necessary to ensure the integrity of the vote.
Regardless, over at Votem, Mr Martin said the entire scenario proved his main point, that there has to be a better, more efficient and more inclusive way to hold elections.
"We kind of joke that mobile [smartphone] voting is 10 years away and we've been saying that for 20 years," he said. "We always say that when Gen Z essentially starts running the country, that's when mobile voting will happen.
Votem has pivoted away from purely mobile voting technology and instead is focusing on what it calls FastPass voting, which would allow people to mark their ballots on phones, but also use a QR code to print off their ballot at actual polling stations, potentially reducing confusion with physical ballots.
"You just walk over to the tabulator, stick it in the scanner and you're good to go," he said, comparing it to the process of preordering food from restaurants, also noting Votem's approach would allow for an audit trail to prevent any vote count discrepancies.
"We really want to push it out in the midterm elections in 2026," he said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
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More on animal trafficking
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')
Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Results
Stage 4
1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma 04:16:13
2. Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
General Classification:
1. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 16:46:15
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:35
4. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5. Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Naga
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The five pillars of Islam
More on Quran memorisation:
Manchester City transfers:
OUTS
Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Willy Caballero and Jesus Navas (all released)
INS
Ederson (Benfica) £34.7m, Bernardo Silva (Monaco) £43m
ON THEIR WAY OUT?
Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Nolito and Kelechi Iheanacho
ON THEIR WAY IN?
Dani Alves (Juventus), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More from Neighbourhood Watch
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
Read more about the coronavirus
more from Janine di Giovanni
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
The five pillars of Islam
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
More on Quran memorisation:
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
