The results of the Bitcoin election run-off are in, and Oliver Janssens and Jim Harper are the newest members of the Bitcoin Foundation board.
The initial run-off vote took place using Swarm and the blockchain. It was an attempt at an innovative and potentially ground-breaking method of casting votes. However, the vote was plagued with problems, and anyone looking for an example of how blockchain voting could change the world is better off looking elsewhere.
The vote was “rebooted” to their previous system, provided by Helios. Helios was always the backup plan, but blockchain enthusiasts are surely disappointed it came to that.
Janssens was the lead vote getter, with 63 % of members approving his inclusion. Harper came in second with 60 % of members approving his appointment.
Janssens is the more controversial of the two. This past summer he put up a US$100,000 bounty for software that could replace the Bitcoin Foundation's perceived control over Bitcoin development. In announcing his win on Twitter, he proclaimed a mandate for big changes at the Bitcoin Foundation.
Won the elections with 63%! Clear sign people want change. @BTCFoundation get ready for exactly that. Thank u everyone! I'll make it happen.
— Olivier Janssens (@olivierjanss) March 1, 2015He will have to find a consensus with the other board members if he wants to enact change. However, with 63 % of voting members supporting his appointment, he could make the argument that the Bitcoin Foundation membership sent him to do just that.
Harper is more of a traditional candidate and, in contrast to Janssens, would like to see the Bitcoin Foundation focus more on development. He formerly was the Bitcoin Foundation's Global Policy Advisor, and currently a fellow at the Washington based think-tank the Cato institute. Harper is licensed to practice law in both California and Washington DC.
Turn out for the elections was significantly higher than it was last year, jumping to 89 % for the primary and 74 % for the general election. That is up from 74 % and 51 % respectively last year. Janssens and Harper will each serve a two year term. Michael Perklin and Bruce Fenton were the two other candidates included in the run-off election, and received 52 % and 50 % approval respectively.
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