Welcome to Axis ProRata, a podcast that takes just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

I'm Dan for Mac.

On today's show, a Silicon Valley billionaire buys Time magazine and some political math behind this past weekend's allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

But first, blockchain in the voting booth. behind this past weekend's allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

But first.

Blockchain in the voting booth.

So we don't usually think of West Virginia as being on the cutting edge of technology,

but it reasonably became the first state in the country to utilize blockchain,

the technology behind Bitcoin, in its election process.

So here's how it worked. The state worked with a Boston-based company to create a blockchain-based mobile voting

app for military members serving overseas.

These folks and their families normally have to fill out paper ballots and then mail them

into Charleston or to their local counties, but this let them simply do it with their

smartphones. So the pilot was just for two counties during the May primaries, but it seemed to work,

and it's going to be rolled out for all eligible voters in all 55 of West Virginia's counties

this November. Why it matters is that, if successful, this blockchain-based voting app could

be a model that other states follow not just for overseas

military or for expats, but really for voting overall. It could really revolutionize the ballot

box. Now, to be sure, there are skeptics, some who worry that blockchain isn't as secure

as its advocates claim, and some who worry that this system could let users upload viruses to the voting systems.

But clearly, the goal is admirable, even if some of the details need to still be worked out.

This goal of making voting safer and more accessible.

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