As some states move back toward paper ballots, West Virginia is testing new “secure” technology for the upcoming primaries on May 8. From The Hill:
Secretary of State Mac Warner (R) announced the pilot program on Wednesday afternoon. It will initially be limited to military voters and their spouses and children who are registered to vote in Harrison and Monongalia counties. However, the state plans to expand the program to all 55 counties in the upcoming November general election if the pilot proves successful.
The app is powered by Blockchain, a type of technology used to secure cryptocurrency that has gained increased attention with the rising popularity of digital currencies such as bitcoin. The technology has already been deployed in health care and other industries to secure data.
Security experts in the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election have increasingly pointed to blockchain technology as a way to secure election systems and ensure confidence in future votes.
The first military member to use the app? Secretary of State Mac Warner’s son, Scott Warner. From the West Virginia Secretary of State's office on how to apply:
The first active user of the mobile voting application was Scott Warner, son of Secretary Warner. Scott Warner is currently registered to vote at his home in Monongalia County, but currently is deployed in Italy.
“The registration for this application was very easy to maneuver. It included an ID verification process that matched me to my ID. That gave me confidence that this mobile voting process was secure,” Scott Warner said. “When the ballot was made available, I just clicked through the names of the candidates. I hit ‘vote’ for the candidates I wanted to support. Then I used the thumb print Touch ID on my phone to verify who I was. That was it. Pretty slick!”
To qualify for the program, an overseas military voter, spouse or dependent must first apply for the special absentee status by submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) indicating the preference to receive their voting materials via email or online to the county clerk’s office. Once the voter’s FPCA card is confirmed, the voter will receive detailed instructions on the use of the application prior to receipt of a ballot. The ballot will be sent for the Primary when the voter’s identity is confirmed in the application.