The Republican Party of Utah selected Smartmatic to provide an online voting solution during the state’s Republican Presidential Caucus of March 22. This became the world’s first ever government election in which blockchain technology was used.

Smartmatic provided its proven online voting technology to allow registered Utah Republican Party members vote from anywhere in the world. Voters from over 45 countries, including places as far away as French Polynesia, South Africa and Japan, voiced their opinion.

Nearly 90% of voters registered to vote online participated in the caucus process, marking an extremely high turnout rate. Voters of all ages, from millennials right through to people in their 80s, chose to cast their vote online.

Participation was strongest amongst voters aged 56-65. After making their selections, online voting participants were asked to provide feedback on their experience:

•    94% of respondents described the online voting experience as good.

•    97% would consider voting online in future elections.

•    82% wanted to see online voting implemented nationwide.

How to vote

Online voting is simple, secure and convenient. From log in to ballot casting, it only takes approximately one minute to vote.

Watch the following video to learn how voters cast their ballot in Utah

Generating a PIN

After voters registered to vote online, the system generated a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that was sent to voters via email or SMS. This PIN was used to authenticate voters prior to voting.A very simple and secure protocol was implemented to generate new PINs for those voters who lost theirs.

Watch how voters will generate a new PIN

Verifying the vote

After casting their ballot, voters received a personal voting receipt showing a number and their choice. When results were published, voters were able to verify that their vote was recorded accurately by checking the Utah Republican Party’s Bulletin Board and entering their receipt number.

Watch this process here

Key benefits of the Online Voting Portal

Accessible. Regardless of physical location, registered voters with a smartphone, tablet or a PC/laptop, can access the platform and vote.

To minimize language barriers the Internet voting application was available in both English and Spanish.

Secure. The Online Voting Portal is a highly secure environment which protects the voting process and the ballots.

Easy to use. The intuitive user interface assists voters in marking their ballot correctly.

Informative. Ballots were presented with a link next to each one of the participating candidates to provide information about them. Online support was available to answer questions and solve issues.