BTC178: Auditing Elections with Bitcoin w/ Carlos Toriello (Bitcoin Podcast)

This podcast episode explores the innovative use of Bitcoin in securing the integrity of elections. The guest, Carlos Toriello, shares his experience in Guatemala, where he has successfully used Bitcoin to audit election results. The voting process in Guatemala involves political party witnesses and citizen volunteers overseeing the process, similar to Bitcoin's proof-of-work consensus mechanism. The use of Bitcoin's OpenTimestamps Protocol allows for the verification of election documents, ensuring transparency and trust. The episode also discusses the gamification of election auditing to engage young people and promote Bitcoin adoption. The results of extensive election audits in Guatemala demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. Overall, Bitcoin's potential to enhance election security and transparency is highlighted, with the hope of replicating this model in other countries.