Screven County, Georgia, made history on November 5, 2024, by becoming the first U.S. county to use the #Bitcoin blockchain to secure its election results. Partnering with Simple Proof, a company specializing in safeguarding digital records using Bitcoin’s immutable ledger, the county ensured that its election data—such as vote tallies and summaries—could not be altered. This process involves timestamping documents on the blockchain using cryptographic technology.
Stacy Scott Mincey, the county's election supervisor, adopted this approach to enhance voter confidence and avoid disputes seen in other counties. Simple Proof, previously used in Guatemala's presidential elections, made the process seamless, requiring only the emailing of reports to their system for blockchain verification.
While Simple Proof secures records, the integrity of the votes remains the responsibility of local election boards. In Georgia, this is supported by a combination of machine and paper ballot systems, along with routine audits.
Simple Proof and its team hope to expand their services statewide and nationally, highlighting the technology's simplicity and affordability. Both Mincey and Simple Proof envision broader adoption in future elections.
