Moscow's Blockchain Voting Platform Adds Service for High-Rise Neighbors

Muscovites can now vote on things like whether to change the building entrance door or hire a new management company using an ethereum-based platform.

AccessTimeIconMar 15, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 8:30 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Moscow is extending its use of a blockchain-based voting platform to the city block level.

Announced today, the municipal government of Russia's national capital has launched Digital Home, a service allows neighbors in high rises to electronically vote and communicate on issues like whether to replace the building entrance door or hire a new management company.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • The service uses Active Citizen, an electronic voting platform that runs on a private version of ethereum.

    Each year, Moscow residents hold five thousand to seven thousand face-to-face meetings on such matters, according to a press release issued Wednesday, but such gatherings are getting harder to arrange in a busy urban environment.

    “We believe it’s essential to build a convenient environment to allow neighbors to influence the neighborhood they are living in," said Andrey Belozerov, an advisor to the chief information officer of Moscow. "The pace of life in [big cities] imposes its conditions and it is rather difficult to find a suitable time for everyone and schedule a meeting between neighbors offline."

    Active Citizen launched in 2014 and has amassed more than 2 million users. In that time, it has facilitated 3,510 polls where users voted on subjects like the name for a new metro train and the color of seats in a new sports arena.

    Late last year, it began using blockchain technology to make results publicly auditable and assuage concerns about the city's vote counting.

    "Once the vote is placed, it will be listed in a ledger consisting of all votes [that have] taken place across a peer-to-peer network," according to the city's public statement. "It will guarantee that the data will not be lost or altered by someone after the vote was casted so there is no chance for fraud or third-party interference."

    Moscow at night image via Shutterstock.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.