Problems and Prospects of Implementing Blockchain Technology in the National Electoral Processes

Abstract

The article offers a comprehensive analysis of the potential and limitations of using blockchain technologies in Ukraine’s electoral process amid wartime and post‑war transformations. The author examines the technical properties of blockchain, including its decentralized architecture, cryptographic resilience, data immutability mechanisms, and peer-to-peer data replication. The article highlights that these advantages create an impression of complete electoral transparency; however, their practical implementation is significantly complicated by various organizational, infrastructural, and legal factors. The views of proponents who perceive blockchain as a means of automating processes and enhancing trust. It is noted that these solutions are largely theoretical models that remain insufficiently adapted to real socio-political conditions.

The article also analyzes the arguments of critics who emphasize risks related to the concentration of control in the hands of one or several administrators, the lack of reliable voter identification, possible system failures, vulnerability to cyberattacks, and potential interference from the Russian Federation. The international experience is revealed: the successful use during elections in Sierra Leone, election fraud in local elections in Russia, Norway’s refusal of electronic voting due to security risks and the lack of effect on voter turnout, the preference for paper ballots in Belgium, and the impossibility of applying the Estonian model due to its incompatibility with Ukraine's constitutional requirements regarding the secrecy of voting. Attention is also given to socio-demographic limitations, particularly the low level of digital skills among a significant share of older voters.

The article concludes that implementing blockchain-based voting would require extensive legislative reforms, substantial modernization of digital infrastructure, and enhanced cybersecurity. Under current conditions, the technology cannot ensure full security, transparency, or compliance with constitutional principles. It is determined that blockchain can be applied only in experimental or local processes, while its full-scale use in nationwide elections in Ukraine remains premature.