USPS Seeks a Patent for a Blockchain-Based Mail-in Voting System

The United States Postal Service (“USPS”) is seeking a patent protection for a more secure vote by mail system. In its recent patent publication, the USPS describes that its voting system is secured by using a blockchain to record data regarding the mailed in votes in order to demonstrate the accuracy of the election.

FIG. 20 of the U.S. Patent Publication Number 2020/0258338 shows a process of presenting a ballet to the voter and then casting it using the USPS secure voting system. The process begins with the step 2001, where the voter enrolls in a particular election using a blockchain application. The blockchain application then confirms that the voter is eligible to vote in the election he or she selected (step 2002). If so, a QR code is generated for the voter (step 2003), which is then sent to the voter via mail (step 2004). The voter can then opens the elections from the home screen of the blockchain application (step 2005) and scan the QR code using the blockchain application (step 2006). This gives the voter access to the ballot for the election. Once the ballot is accessed using the QR code, the voter uses the blockchain application to make selections on the ballot (step 2007). The process then proceeds to step 2008, in which the voter signs the affidavit and submits the affidavit and ballot to the election official using the blockchain application.