Salimova B.
BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF ELECTORAL INTEGRITY: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF KAZAKHSTANS POTENTIAL *
Аннотация:
the worldwide expanding momentum towards transparent governance has revealed blockchain technology as a suitable solution to improve electoral systems. The research conducts an essential evaluation of blockchain voting initiatives in Kazakhstan which is experiencing modernization but still faces ongoing obstacles in democratic progress. Blockchain technology provides nation states with unmatchable capabilities for secure voting systems that combine transparent behavior tracking along with tamper-proof functionality but implementing blockchain in the electoral system of Kazakhstan faces varied technical and political challenges. The adoption of blockchain voting faces challenges because of opposition from powerful political groups and insufficient legal frameworks and technological inequalities between different groups of people and limited capabilities of institutions. An examination of Kazakhstans national digital programs together with global voting technology solutions enables this research to deliver a thorough evaluation of blockchain solutions within the countrys electoral transformation. The research indicates blockchain holds great potential for enhancing electoral integrity though it requires combined implementation with democratic system improvements and educational programs in addition to inclusive transparent governance structures. This research advances knowledge about digital governance by presenting a specific analysis of blockchain application in countries shifting from dictatorship to democracy.
Ключевые слова:
blockchain, Kazakhstan, elections, e-voting, electoral integrity, digital governance, democratic reform
DOI 10.24412/2712-8849-2025-485-511-530
Introduction. A democracy requires intact electoral systems to establish genuine governance systems that people will trust in political institutions. Modern political and technological progress calls for digital solutions in election processes while presenting simultaneous challenges regarding their adoption. Different countries now depend on advanced technologies to upgrade their voting systems through enhanced security levels and improved fairness and better accessibility. Blockchain technology represents a distributed ledger system which shows promise to solve years-long electoral integrity problems regarding fraud together with mistrust along with lack of transparency. The integration of blockchain into electoral systems needs the successful management of technological systems alongside political factors and legal requirements and societal acceptance. The research analyzes blockchain voting systems through the lens of Kazakhstan because this nation represents a strategic time where it stands between advanced digital transformation and constitutional democratic reform.Kazakhstan offers special insights into how blockchain technology relates to electoral reform implementations. The "Digital Kazakhstan" initiative launched in 2018 stands as one of several national modernization efforts carried out by Kazakhstan since its independence in 1991 according to Kazakhstan Ministry of Digital Development (2018). The country now holds leadership status in digital infrastructure through its significant investments toward enhancing internet connectivity along with developing e-governance platforms and building smart cities. The voting system of Kazakhstan regularly receives negative evaluation from international watchdogs such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) because of its tight media monitoring alongside minimal partisan competition along with weak political transparency (OSCE, 2021). Public faith in election results has declined because of various issues identified by surveys that reveal Kazakhstanis demonstrate confidence levels as low as 34% (Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, 2021). The current electoral system needs blockchain technology as a solution to add credibility while promoting better electoral engagement.Blockchains core value involves establishing unalterable transparent transaction records thus qualifying as an effective solution for protecting electoral information. Blockchain technology executes decentralized storage and verification of votes to remove dependence on typical centralized electoral commissions or their vendor partners known as points of vulnerability in traditional systems (Swan, 2015). Every blockchain vote becomes an unalterable transaction that combines cryptographic security with point-of-origin connections which protect the system from unauthorized modification beyond network requirement. The system provides secure vote recording so manipulation or cant-rustation cannot affect ballots and simultaneously allows electorate members and independent inspectors to verify outcomes as voting occurs in real time (Baudier et al., 2021). Due to previous election-related ballot stuffing accusations and double voter cases Kazakhstan could benefit from blockchain technology by strengthening both its voting procedures and public trust in election results.The global implementation of blockchain technology during elections has produced useful experiences for Kazakhstan to apply this technology to future elections. Estonia leads the world in digital governance through blockchain implementations of digital identity protection and public records management although it has not integrated blockchain for its national elections (Tikhomirov & Vasiliev, 2020). During the 2018 presidential election in Sierra Leone blockchain systems monitored vote counts which observers could quickly check despite paper ballots being utilized (European Parliament, 2019). Blockchain proves to be adaptable because it strengthens hybrid system transparency while providing the means for complete digital voting processes. The technology requirements need customization based on local conditions because nations demonstrate various levels of digital infrastructure capacity together with differing legal structures and public confidence.Blockchain voting implementation faces many obstacles for adoption in Kazakhstan. The countrys digital divide, with internet penetration at 82.3% but stark disparities between urban (near-universal access) and rural (65% access) areas, poses a challenge to equitable participation (International Telecommunication Union, 2021, World Bank, 2020). The Electoral Code of Kazakhstan imposes barriers to electronic voting while blocking blockchain-based systems because it lacks provisions for such modern technologies (Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, 2020). Political stakeholders view decentralized voting systems with skepticism because they perceive the technology as a potential challenge to their authority in electoral oversight processes. The current energy management systems in Kazakhstan based on coal production show limited capability to operate the computational requirements of blockchain systems because energy consumption from proof-of-work consensus protocols strains existing electricity grids (Energy Information Administration, 2022).The challenges notwithstanding blockchain technology presents extensive advantages for Kazakhstans electoral voting system. The implementation of blockchain systems would guarantee vote integrity through immovable records alongside operational transparency to help voters check their ballots autonomously thus building election result credibility. The objectives of "Digital Kazakhstan" support blockchain adoption because it enables technology-driven government enhancement for public participation. This solution depends on more than hardware implementation because it needs a systematic method that tackles issues stemming from the law together with institutional complications and societal resistance. Widespread adoption of blockchain in elections demands legislative changes and a strengthened capacity at the Central Election Commission and public outreach activities that teach digital literacy and trust development for digital systems.This research constitutes an extensive study of how blockchain technology could change Kazakhstans electoral system. This investigation examines digitization efforts in Kazakhstan while assessing adoption standards in worldwide blockchain voting programs to examine the necessary practical and legal and social demands for blockchain voting deployment. The author outlines step-by-step implementation guidelines that cover testing with demonstration projects and involvement of key stakeholders as well as system architecture enhancements. The paper concludes that blockchain presents substantial opportunities to improve electoral integrity but these opportunities will succeed only through technological progress which matches democratic values coupled with both inclusive frameworks and public trust. The blockchain voting journey of Kazakhstan presents ideas that help other developing democracies understand digital governance systems.Literature Review. Blockchain technology attracted extensive industry interest across finance and supply chain management before finding new applications in public voter systems. Blockchain works as a decentralized distributed ledger system which helps create permanent transaction records that maintain transparency on distributed networks (Crosby et al., 2016). Every vote in the election process becomes part of a block sequence on blockchain while network participants have to agree on any attempted modifications. The designed architecture secures votes after verification by creating an unalterable and tamper-proof system that enables transparent auditing of elections (Baudier et al., 2021). End-to-end verifiability with real-time audits defines blockchain voting systems above traditional electronic voting methods because they maintain transparency and eliminate the need for vulnerable manipulation (Gipp et al., 2019).The trust protocol nature of blockchain receives conceptual validation from scholars including Swan (2015) and Pilkington (2016). The electoral purpose of this approach means getting rid of centralized electoral commissions or third-party vendors because it reduces the potential for fraud or undue influence. Blockchain has been tested as an electoral solution by multiple countries in different voting system functions. Estonia leads in e-governance by using blockchain to protect digital identities and public records yet it has not adopted blockchain for its national elections according to Tikhomirov and Vasiliev (2020). The Swiss government used blockchain technology for municipal voting systems during tests while Sierra Leone applied blockchain to track vote totals during their 2018 presidential election even though paper ballots remained the voting method (European Parliament, 2019).The widespread implementation of blockchain technology faces various obstacles in electoral systems. The endpoints of blockchain systems that include mobile voting applications and identity verification platforms present security weaknesses because they can still face cyberattacks (Gipp et al., 2019). A breach at any entry point for the blockchain will result in complete system integrity failure even when the blockchain ledger remains secure. The practical limitations to widespread implementationstem from how much energy certain proof-of-work blockchain protocols need and how they cannot scale up effectively (Baudier et al., 2021). The ongoing digital divides between urban and rural areas in Kazakhstan create additional obstacles to implement blockchain solutions because of the persistent gaps in internet access and digital literacy.According to data provided by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE, 2021) Kazakhstan faces persistent issues with election irregularities which result in minimal political competition together with limited media access. The Digital Kazakhstan program initiated its launch in 2018 as part of the nations digital governance initiative but shows minimal influence over election management (Kazakhstan Ministry of Digital Development, 2018). The present legal system requires extensive reform to authorize electronic voting and blockchain networks since it does not yet contain these provisions. The political institutions of the country persistently reject reforms that would either reduce centralized power structures or increase transparency thus creating doubts about blockchain application feasibility in these deeply centralized political systems.The electoral system in Kazakhstan will face numerous challenges before adopting blockchain technologies but the persuasive advantages of blockchain remain compelling. Implementation of blockchain technology would create an impenetrable voting database which resolves typical problems including ballot stuffing together with double voting and miscounting incidents. The transparent nature of this technology enables voters to examine their vote registration and counting process independently which develops greater confidence in election results. Due to widespread distrust of official election results this measure becomes essential in such situations. Developing these election advantages requires technological funding and simultaneous initiatives to generate governmental commitment and institutional functionality alongside literacy programs for voters.Analysis. The digitalization processes of Kazakhstan show impressive results since internet penetration touched 82.3% during 2021 (International Telecommunication Union, 2021). The countrywide percentage of 82.3% internet accessibility hides major differences between urban districts and rural areas. Almost all residents in Nur-Sultan and Almaty possess internet access but the rural population still faces limited connectivity as World Bank (2020) shows 65% internet connection rates. The implementation of blockchain voting faces major difficulties because distributed technology needs equal access by all voters to guarantee an inclusive voting process.Because the digital framework of the country continues to evolve it lacks sufficient capabilities to operate a national blockchain system. The implementation of blockchain networks especially proof-of-work consensus demands significant computational resources alongside heavy energy requirements. The energy sector of Kazakhstan which depends on coal already deals with power limitations while the implementation of blockchain voting would create additional strain on existing resources (Energy Information Administration, 2022). Proof-of-stake serves as a possible alternative to proof-of-work but the implementation requires financial investment in computing hardware and network infrastructure to operate efficiently.Critics have focused on Kazakhstans electoral system due to its untransparent processes along with restricted competition levels and its tendency to be controlled by interests in power. The 2019 presidential election showed numerous irregularities according to the OSCE report which hampered the validity of the outcome results (OSCE, 2021). The immutable nature of blockchain together with decentralized verification would address electoral problems by uniquely logging votes which cannot be changed after casting them.Real-time vote monitoring by independent observers becomes possible through blockchain transparency which works to minimize election fraud. The elections in Sierra Leone during 2018 relied on blockchain technology to maintain separate vote tallies which civil society organizations used to validate official results (European Parliament, 2019). The implementation of this method in Kazakhstan would boost transparency levels to reduce corrupt election practices.However, the success of such a system hinges on the security of its endpoints. The blockchain interfaces which voters would use would most likely be mobile applications or web interfaces but both types face possible hacking or phishing attacks. Maintaining solid integrity across all system interfaces stands as the highest priority since any interface breach would put the systems whole credibility at risk. The country must dedicate extensive funds to enhance cybersecurity protections along with implementing educational programs to protect voters from security risks.The legal system of Kazakhstan fails to accept either electronic voting or blockchain-based systems. Under the latest version of the Electoral Code from 2020 paper ballots remain mandatory together with manual vote counting while electronic voting and blockchain systems receive no recognition (Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, 2020). The implementation of blockchain voting systems needs extensive legal transformation to create standards for digital identity checks and data protection and audit capabilities.The Central Election Commission (CEC) operating under its authority to supervise elections relies on insufficient technical capabilities for running blockchain management functions. Developing adequate implementation skills requires extensive training across multiple levels similar to establishing a specific digital elections subdivision within the CEC. The nation should establish partnerships with international nations such as Estonia or Switzerland to obtain their expertise and technical resources for blockchain voting implementation.Public trust in digital voting systems and electoral institutions represents the major constraint for introducing blockchain voting in Kazakhstan. Most Kazakh respondents (58%) displayed doubts about government innovations in technology in addition to expressing minimal trust in elections fairness according to the 2021 Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KISS, 2021) survey results. The implementation of blockchain requires successful execution and an education campaign to make voters understand its beneficial security aspects.The successful implementation of blockchain elections requires digital literacy education in rural regions because it enables every citizen to join these elections. Basic digital skills cover only 45% of the rural residents in Kazakhstan despite urban citizens reaching 78% (UNESCO, 2022) according to statistics. The process of closing this gap requires immediate action since it stops marginalized communities from voting.Current Blockchain-Based Electronic Voting Systems. During the past five years multiple organizations became active in constructing blockchain-based electronic voting systems because they believe these systems will enhance both transparency and security. The promising systems struggle with scalability problems that restrict their use to elections of small scale instead of nationwide electoral processes with millions of transactions. Follow My Vote. Follow My Vote operates as a blockchain-powered digital voting service which centers its operations on both transparency and audit capability (Follow My Vote, 2023). Through its blockchain system voters can perform remote voting and check their votes before reviewing complete election results that remain open for transparent audit. Users have access to a virtual ballot box through cryptographic techniques that both protect vote integrity and permit them to verify their votes and election outcome calculation accuracy. The existing blockchain frameworks used by the system act as a restriction that reduces its performance in managing extensive elections.Voatz. Voatz offers a smartphone-based blockchain voting system for remote anonymous voting through its platform (Voatz, 2023). The system requires voters to confirm their identity by scanning their fingerprints or using their retinas and showing their photo identification. After voters successfully authenticate their identity they can both submit their ballots then verify their votes by the system for precise vote count results. The mobile-centered implementation of Voatz improves accessibility yet handles limited growth capabilities alongside vulnerabilities in protecting mobile application endpoints from cyber threats.Polyas. The blockchain voting solution provider Polyas launched operations in Finland during 1996 to help public and private organizations implement electronic voting (Polyas, 2023). Polyas earned certification from the German Federal Office for Information Security during 2016 and now serves numerous German companies together with clients across Europe and the United States. The blockchain platform of this system maintains vote security during storage and verification however it has the same scalability limitations as other blockchain-based options which affect its suitability for large-scale national elections.Luxoft. The IT service provider Luxoft together with Zug City and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences created a tailored blockchain voting system which became one of the earliest solutions implemented by a major economic sector (Luxoft, 2023). Luxoft maintains an open-source platform while creating the Government Alliance Blockchain as a network to support blockchain adoption by public institutions. Its novel system shares the same issues with scalability which favors municipal or regional elections but not national ones.Polys. Polys operates as a blockchain voting platform which Kaspersky Lab supports for community elections starting at the student council or associations (Polys, 2023). The platform makes use of transparent cryptographic procedures that both protect vote integrity and help distribute electoral information. Polys improves voter participation through blockchain technology although Ethereum framework limits scalability due to its capacity to process transactions.Agora. The blockchain voting platform of Agora launched in 2015 operated in Sierra Leone during its 2018 presidential election (Agora, 2023). Agora implements a particular blockchain framework combined with participatory security measures and distinct consensus architecture while using the “vote” native token to encourage safe and transparent elections. The voting platform operated by Agora has scalability challenges since its processing framework fails to manage the quantity of transactions needed during large-scale national elections.Scalability Challenges. Virtual voting through blockchain platforms needs the support of three major frameworks: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric but their capacity to scale is limited. Today these systems deliver adequate performance in small systems yet fall short when massive election-level transaction processing is required. The Bitcoin and Ethereum networks display extensive delay and high fee costs when facing peak usage because of the 2017–2018 Cryptokitties application that jammed up Ethereum (Deloitte Insights, 2018). According to Tata Communications (2018) blockchain companies experience major barriers from scalability limitations since their transaction velocity trails behind high-performance systems such as Visa despite completing 150 million transactions daily. The ability to scale block size or decrease block time through hash complexity changes produces limited results because such modifications reach architectural constraints soon after implementation. The scalability weaknesses of blockchain technology create significant challenges for implementing it in national elections in Kazakhstan because the voter pool typically reaches into the millions.Recommendations. The implementation of blockchain-based voting technologies in Kazakhstan delivers a fundamental advancement which improves electoral integrity while promoting transparency to restore public faith in representative democracy. Such advanced technology implementation into transitional democracies where political and legal and societal and technological complexities exist requires systematic planning and inclusion of all stakeholders. Blockchain voting needs successful deployment through technological progress together with extensive changes to legal frameworks and improvements in institutional capacity as well as modification of public attitudes and needed infrastructure development. Kazakhstan needs an extensive development plan to make blockchain work as democratic progress catalyst instead of operating alone according to this section. Kazakhstan will develop a robust electoral system having both digital-oriented abilities and democratic beneficial elements through collaborative efforts between government entities and civil society organizations together with international entities.Establishing a structured system of laws and regulations stands as the fundamental requirement for implementing blockchain voting since it establishes guidelines to oversee digital election procedures. The latest version of Kazakhstan’s Electoral Code from 2020 continues to maintain paper-based procedures while omitting electronic and blockchain election system standards (Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, 2020). Government leaders should start extensive legislative work that will enable digital voting while establishing specific blockchain standards which guarantee encryption security measures, anonymous voting and auditing capability. The government should base its reforms on international e-voting standards to guarantee transparent and verifiable voting access for all citizens (Council of Europe, 2017). The protection of voter identities together with prevention of breaches requires strong data privacy laws based on the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) framework. To promote accountability the government should require independent third-party evaluations of blockchain systems using mandates from independent organizations or the OSCE along with other international bodies. The government must establish a roundtable group composed of electoral officials together with cybersecurity specialists and legal academics to create the framework through legislative drafting work that includes broad community engagements to earn public confidence. A participatory approach during framework development helps reduce political opposition by creating a system that is both technically proficient and socially accepted.To implement a blockchain-based voting system properly Kazakhstan needs a well-trained capability infrastructure owned by its electoral authorities. The Central Election Commission (CEC) faces an inability to manage such modern complex technology because its members lack the required technical expertise. A digital elections unit should be created by the government at the CEC with specialists who possess expertise in blockchain technology and electoral management and cybersecurity skills. A blockchain voting system design team would operate as part of this unit to create solutions while overseeing deployment and system task monitoring of blockchain election platforms with existing electoral system integration in mind. The CEC needs to create expert training programs jointly with international experts along with academic institutions that will deliver essential skills for their staff members. The training programs for CEC staff members must focus on learning blockchain principles together with cybersecurity defenses and strategies to bring voters into digital platforms. Kazakhstan needs to establish partner relationships with Estonia because of its worldwide e-governance leadership along with Switzerland to implement blockchain voting successfully. Kazakhstan can improve its global expertise through bilateral agreements which permit technical assistance and staff exchanges combined with joint research initiatives in order to exploit worldwide technical expertise. The establishment of a Central Asian working group on digital elections along with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan would enable knowledge sharing between regional neighbors for addressing digital divide problems and political resistance issues. The endeavors will acquire their effectiveness through specific time-based goals combined with advocacy for consistent funding alongside structured assessments to maintain enhanced performance.A slow approach to blockchain voting implementation along with small experimental programs should be adopted by Kazakhstan because of both technological inexperience and its special social structure. The first stage of blockchain voting tests should take place through protected trials involving university voting systems municipal referendums and community question surveys. The voting system of a major university in Nur-Sultan should evaluate essential functionalities such as ballot authentication methods followed by vote recording and result verification processes to obtain performance data and usability feedback. Future pilots need to focus on technical system improvement tasks which resolve Endpoint security problems and improve user interface accessibility features and boost network performance capabilities. The system design will benefit from participant feedback gathered from students and faculty members and election officials who should contribute to successive enhancement cycles for delivering an intuitive and inclusive solution. Zero tolerance for secrecy exists in this initiative as outcome reports from tests that expose both positive achievements and difficulties must become accessible to the general public. Open disclosure of experimental results shows dedication to responsible governance. The technology can spread over time from small-scale elections to bigger ones through a step-by-step process where municipal polls are the starting point and it will eventually cover regional and national elections. Through this stepwise method independent public feedback and risk adjustment occur continuously which results in a proven technology that reaches nationwide implementation. The oversight process becomes stronger through civil society organization participation during pilot stages because it bolsters public trust and credibility levels.The implementation of blockchain voting depends heavily on public education about this approach because Kazakhstan citizens demonstrate limited trust in electoral processes with 34% approval rate and expressing doubt about government technology initiatives to 58% (Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, 2021). National education initiatives focusing on blockchain voting should raise public understanding toward its secure features and clear monitoring practices and positive influences on democratic election stability. The educational campaign about blockchain voting will adopt clear ways of communication including video presentations and graphic displays and training workshops while targeting multiple groups of people who live in remote areas and the elderly and those who do not speak the national language. The outreach campaign will get a boost through collaborative initiatives between educational institutions and non-profit organizations to reach audiences across the board. Targeted intervention strategies should focus on rural areas because digital skill competency reaches only 45% of residents there (UNESCO, 2022). Mobile training units and subsidized internet access combined with community technology centers facilitate participation by rural citizens with confidence. The government must form a multi-stakeholder working group which adds cybersecurity experts and legal scholars alongside representatives from the CEC, political parties, civil society, independent media professionals and represents experts in the field of cryptography. This consortium would both carry out the execution of blockchain systems and give recommendations while maintaining complete transparency to achieve community-wide ownership. A platform consisting of mobile applications with website interfaces needs implementation to teach citizens about blockchain voting while also letting them practice and give feedback on their experience. Additional public forums alongside town hall meetings help to confront concerns and expose false information while enhancing public trust. A priority should be given to population groups which comprise marginalized rural communities together with underrepresented individuals. elderly, these initiatives can ensure an inclusive electoral process that leaves no one behind.A secure blockchain voting solution depends heavily on technological infrastructure along with cybersecurity measures thus Kazakhstan must fill key gaps to maintain equal access and protected system integrity. To achieve universal rural internet access Kazakhstan must conduct major investments through public-private partnerships and satellite internet and mobile broadband (World Bank, 2020). National budget priorities should include these efforts while establishing specific deadlines for their execution. The countrys energy sector depends on coal for power generation yet faces limitations in its energy capacity thus creating challenges for proof-of-work blockchain operations (Energy Information Administration, 2022). Energy-efficient substitutions such as proof-of-stake protocols help protect both environmental resources and infrastructure from burden with experimental study sites confirming protocol functionality based on country-specific contexts. Voter authentication systems and voting interfaces which function as blockchain endpoints must be protected by cybersecurity measures because they are exposed to cyberattacks. The system must protect itself through deployment of advanced security protocols which combine multiple authentication factors with encryption spanning from end to end along with scheduled penetration tests. Election systems need additional backup structures including manual vote verification protocols that should be implemented alongside blockchain-based hybrid voting procedures in order to protect against hardware breakdowns and cyber threats. Sustainable upgrades need both extended investment and collective efforts between public authorities and private entities along with international partnerships.The adoption of blockchain voting in Kazakhstan becomes faster when countries unite for international and regional collaboration because it enables access to global resources and expertise. The country builds knowledge transfer paths by establishing strategic alliances with Estonia Switzerland and South Korea to exchange insights thro
Номер журнала Вестник науки №4 (85) том 4
Ссылка для цитирования:
Salimova B. BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF ELECTORAL INTEGRITY: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF KAZAKHSTANS POTENTIAL // Вестник науки №4 (85) том 4. С. 511 - 530. 2025 г. ISSN 2712-8849 // Электронный ресурс: https://www.вестник-науки.рф/article/22567 (дата обращения: 13.11.2025 г.)
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