印度的大規模選舉忽略了區塊鏈技術

儘管印度在各個領域都採用了區塊鏈技術，但它在今年的全國選舉中仍然缺席。該國龐大的人口和技術差距帶來了挑戰，而區塊鏈系統的複雜性和標準化監管的缺乏引起了政策制定者的擔憂。

India's Mammoth Election Excludes Blockchain Technology

印度的大規模選舉排除了區塊鏈技術

India, the world's largest democracy, embarked on its mammoth seven-phased election on April 19, culminating on June 1, with no discernible presence of blockchain technology in the electoral process. The election aims to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, with vote counting and result declaration scheduled for June 4.

印度是世界上最大的民主國家，於 4 月 19 日開始了規模龐大的七階段選舉，並於 6 月 1 日結束，選舉過程中沒有明顯的區塊鏈技術存在。此次選舉旨在選舉下議院 543 名議員，計票和結果公佈定於 6 月 4 日進行。

Despite India's significant adoption of blockchain technology across various sectors, the technology remains conspicuously absent from its national elections. "Blockchain technology, though widely prevalent in different industries, has not penetrated India's elections yet," stated Rajagopal Menon, Vice President of WazirX, one of India's prominent digital asset trading platforms.

儘管印度在各領域大量採用區塊鏈技術，但該技術在全國選舉中仍明顯缺席。印度著名數位資產交易平台之一 WazirX 的副總裁 Rajagopal Menon 表示：“區塊鏈技術雖然在不同行業中廣泛流行，但尚未滲透到印度的選舉中。”

India's rapidly growing economy has positioned it as a key catalyst for achieving its ambitious target of a $5 trillion economy by 2028. Leveraging AI and blockchain technologies, India has also established itself as a global superpower while etching its name in history as the first nation to successfully execute a soft landing on the unexplored South Pole of the Moon.

印度快速成長的經濟使其成為實現2028 年經濟規模達到5 兆美元的宏偉目標的關鍵催化劑。一個在印度實現經濟成長的國家而載入史冊。

"As governments and political parties embrace technology, the next innovation wave could involve permissioned blockchain, which possesses the scalability to tally votes from millions of citizens simultaneously, even in a phased manner," Menon suggested.

梅農表示：“隨著政府和政黨擁抱技術，下一波創新浪潮可能涉及許可的區塊鏈，它具有可擴展性，可以同時統計數百萬公民的選票，甚至可以分階段進行。”

India presently relies on indigenous technology comprising Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). Menon elaborated, "The transition from physical ballots to EVMs occurred within the last decade, but blockchain could potentially be the future. An EVM-based smart chain would be ideal for elections, provided it can handle the extraordinary scalability required to process millions of votes concurrently."

印度目前依賴包括電子投票機（EVM）和選民可驗證紙本審計追蹤（VVPAT）在內的本土技術。 Menon 闡述：「從實體選票到EVM 的轉變發生在過去十年內，但區塊鏈可能是未來的趨勢。基於EVM 的智慧鏈將是選舉的理想選擇，只要它能夠處理數百萬張選票所需的非凡可擴展性同時」。

He further emphasized the critical importance of robust security measures to prevent data breaches or hacking. "Developing a permissioned blockchain without revealing voter identities presents challenges and requires the intervention of smart contracts. This can only be realized with enhanced blockchain adoption in public systems and a well-defined set of regulations."

他進一步強調了強有力的安全措施對於防止資料外洩或駭客攻擊的至關重要性。 “在不洩露選民身份的情況下開發許可的區塊鏈會帶來挑戰，並且需要智能合約的干預。這只能通過在公共系統中加強區塊鏈採用和一套明確的法規來實現。”

Elections in India are inherently expensive endeavors. In 2024, it is projected to be the world's costliest election, with candidates and political parties anticipated to spend approximately $14.4 billion. The 2019 national elections saw an expenditure of roughly $7.2 billion.

印度的選舉本質上是一項耗資巨大的活動。 2024 年，預計這將是世界上成本最高的選舉，候選人和政黨預計將花費約 144 億美元。 2019 年全國選舉的支出約為 72 億美元。

Blockchain's Potential: A Game-Changer

區塊鏈的潛力：遊戲規則改變者

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in Indian elections have faced criticism over concerns such as breakdowns during the polling process. "Blockchain technology offers the potential to transform the election process significantly by addressing key challenges like security, transparency, and credibility," emphasized Raj Kapoor, founder of the India Blockchain Alliance.

印度選舉中使用的電子投票機（EVM）因投票過程中出現故障等問題而受到批評。印度區塊鏈聯盟創始人 Raj Kapoor 強調：“區塊鏈技術透過解決安全性、透明度和可信度等關鍵挑戰，提供了顯著改變選舉過程的潛力。”

Blockchain's implementation can enhance transparency by providing a publicly accessible and immutable record of all voting transactions, fostering trust and confidence in the electoral process while eliminating doubts about the accuracy and impartiality of the results. "Election authorities and technology experts should collaborate with election monitoring groups to impart knowledge on utilizing democratized technologies to ensure a fair and impartial electoral process," Kapoor urged.

區塊鏈的實施可以透過提供所有投票交易的可公開存取且不可變的記錄來提高透明度，增強對選舉過程的信任和信心，同時消除對結果準確性和公正性的懷疑。卡普爾敦促說：“選舉當局和技術專家應與選舉監督團體合作，傳授有關利用民主化技術的知識，以確保公平公正的選舉進程。”

Blockchain's application would render voting records unalterable, and unique identities would eliminate the possibility of vote manipulation or skewing. "Blockchain technology can revolutionize elections, particularly in nations with vast electorates like India. It can deliver cost-effective, instantaneous, and timestamped results, facilitating constituency-based result computation," explained Menon of WazirX.

區塊鏈的應用將使投票記錄不可更改，並且唯一的身份將消除投票操縱或偏差的可能性。 「區塊鏈技術可以徹底改變選舉，特別是在像印度這樣擁有大量選民的國家。它可以提供具有成本效益的、即時的和帶時間戳的結果，促進基於選區的結果計算，」WazirX 的Menon解釋道。

"If integrated with devices like mobile phones via Digilocker, voters could cast their ballots from anywhere, regardless of their physical location during election time. This would benefit individuals working in different cities who currently have to travel to their hometowns to vote. It also ensures that geographical distance does not hinder voter participation," Menon added.

「如果透過 Digilocker 與手機等設備集成，選民可以在任何地方投票，無論選舉期間身在何處。這將有利於在不同城市工作的個人，他們目前必須前往家鄉投票。它還確保地理距離並不妨礙選民參與，」梅農補充道。

Dry Run and Resistance

試運行和阻力

Khammam, a district in the southern Indian state of Telangana, recently conducted a dry run exercise for the country's first smartphone-based e-voting system organized by the Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC). The dry run employed blockchain technology to securely store and protect de-identified and encrypted votes as immutable records.

印度南部特倫甘納邦的卡馬姆 (Khammam) 地區最近為特倫甘納邦選舉委員會 (TSEC) 組織的印度首個基於智慧型手機的電子投票系統進行了演練。演練採用區塊鏈技術來安全地儲存和保護去識別化和加密的選票作為不可變的記錄。

Kapoor commented, "The Telangana State Election Commission's distributed ledger technology-based e-voting application will eventually enhance the fairness and transparency of the voting process, despite the criticism that similar projects have often faced in India."

卡普爾評論道：“特倫甘納邦選舉委員會基於分散式帳本技術的電子投票應用程式最終將提高投票過程的公平性和透明度，儘管類似項目在印度經常面臨批評。”

Tamil Nadu has also proposed a state-wide blockchain infrastructure to be utilized by various government agencies and public sector entities. It envisions a single platform where blockchain applications can be developed and deployed for the state's departments and public sector enterprises. This platform will operate as a Blockchain As A Service (BAAS) provider to government departments, public sector entities, agencies, and organizations.

泰米爾納德邦也提議建立一個全州範圍的區塊鏈基礎設施，供各政府機構和公共部門實體使用。它設想了一個單一平台，可以為國家部門和公共部門企業開發和部署區塊鏈應用程式。該平台將作為區塊鏈即服務（BAAS）提供者向政府部門、公共部門實體、機構和組織運作。

Despite its potential, blockchain technology's absence from Indian elections is attributed to several factors. "Legal frameworks governing elections vary across jurisdictions, and policymakers may hesitate to adopt blockchain technology due to concerns about privacy, compliance, and accountability. Additionally, the lack of standardized regulations for blockchain-based voting systems can lead to uncertainty and reluctance among election authorities and stakeholders," Kapoor explained.

儘管區塊鏈技術潛力巨大，但其在印度選舉中的缺席有幾個原因。 「管理選舉的法律框架因司法管轄區而異，由於對隱私、合規性和問責制的擔憂，政策制定者可能會猶豫是否採用區塊鏈技術。此外，基於區塊鏈的投票系統缺乏標準化法規可能會導致選舉當局的不確定性和不情願和利益相關者，」卡普爾解釋道。

Technological barriers and limitations pose another challenge, particularly in a country with India's vast population. Skepticism towards emerging technologies or resistance to change can further hinder the adoption of blockchain-based elections.

技術障礙和限制構成了另一個挑戰，特別是在印度這樣一個人口眾多的國家。對新興技術的懷疑或對變革的抵制可能會進一步阻礙基於區塊鏈的選舉的採用。

"Issues such as scalability, latency, and network congestion can compromise the efficiency and reliability of blockchain networks, potentially leading to delays or disruptions in the voting process. The complexity of blockchain technology may pose challenges for election officials and voters, particularly those with limited technical expertise, resulting in usability issues and potential errors," Kapoor concluded.

「可擴展性、延遲和網路擁塞等問題可能會損害區塊鏈網路的效率和可靠性，可能導致投票過程的延遲或中斷。區塊鏈技術的複雜性可能會給選舉官員和選民帶來挑戰，特別是那些能力有限的選民。

India's journey towards becoming a leader in the Web3 era is comprehensively explored in the video "India poised to become leaders in Web3."

影片「印度準備成為 Web3 的領導者」全面探討了印度成為 Web3 時代領導者的歷程。