Empowering Democracy: Does Blockchain Unlock the E-Voting Potential for Citizens?

Abstract

The adoption of blockchain technology continues to grow, a direct result of its potential to provide new solutions to old problems in several industries, including the electoral sector. Blockchain technology is proposed to have the potential to address and overcome the traditional pen and paper scheme’s challenges and limitations, as well as trust concerns around more modern e-voting systems. Ultimately, with the aim to revert the recent downward trend in voter turnover, despite the interest and potential, there remains a significant research gap in understanding citizen response to this technology. This research is aimed at investigating whether citizens would be willing to embrace blockchain technology, as well as at exploring the factors that influence its adoption. A model designed to combine the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology methodology with an experimental approach is applied. The results of the study (N = 416) show that the intention to use blockchain-based e-voting systems can be predicted by five of seven constructs, that is, citizens are more likely to adopt e-voting systems when they perceive them to be effective, socially endorsed, enjoyable, trustworthy, and low in perceived risk. However, we do not find a direct influence of blockchain technology, over cloud-based e-voting, on voting intentions indicating that the benefits of this approach may not be well understood by consumers or may not drive the desired increase in voting intention. By understanding citizens’ willingness and concerns to adopt new voting technologies and the factors influencing this disposition, policymakers are better equipped to develop strategies on the development and implementation of electronic voting systems and can make informed choices about the use of blockchain technology.