On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the Williamson Nation Republican Social gathering held its conference on the Franklin Marriott, situated within the coronary heart of Williamson County, Tennessee.
On the occasion, “bona fide” Republicans (those that voted within the final three out of 4 Republican primaries) voted for the way forward for their get together’s native management, with the 2 sides within the contest — Elevate and the Williamson County Republicans — every providing a slate of eight candidates.
The final results of the vote have been dedicated in (added to) Bitcoin block 886,370 utilizing Simple Proof’s Immutable Proof service, an automatic service that employs the OpenTimestamps protocol to assist defend public data.
Why Easy Proof?
Easy Proof preserves the integrity of paperwork by committing digital variations of mentioned paperwork within the arbitrary knowledge discipline (the OP_RETURN operate) of a bitcoin transaction. In doing so, the paperwork are irrevocably dedicated to a block on the Bitcoin blockchain, which is immutable.
This expertise has confirmed to be glorious for preserving election data, because it helps to stop tampering with election outcomes as soon as a vote depend is finalized.
Easy Proof put itself on the map when it helped safe the vote tallies for 2023’s Presidential election in Guatemala, the story of which is printed within the quick documentary “Immutable Democracy.”
The corporate additionally helped to preserve the integrity of election results in Screven County, Georgia this previous November.
It was truly this story from Screven County that caught the eye of Steve Giraud, a Republican voter based mostly in Williamson County who needed to see integrity of the vote tally for the Williamson County Republican management election upheld.
So, he and a buddy with whom he hosts Bitcoin meetups, Dave Birnbaum (additionally a contributor to Bitcoin Magazine), reached out to the Easy Proof to make use of its providers.
“Steve, the one that contacted Easy Proof, described himself as a ‘involved citizen,’” Simple Proof founder and CEO Rafael (Rafa) Cordon advised Bitcoin Journal.
Cordon went on to clarify that Easy Proof is politically neutral and that it does not more than present a technological service.
“We’re not working straight for any political group or electoral authority, only a one that desires to guard voting paperwork,” mentioned Cordon.
Carlos Toriello, Election Lead at Easy Proof, reiterated Cordon’s level that Easy Proof doesn’t work on behalf of political teams and solely works to protect the integrity of key election paperwork.
“They’ll use our service to know that the knowledge that they rely on has been preserved,” Toriello advised Bitcoin Journal.
Pre-Conference Rigidity
After I spoke with Giraud the day earlier than the vote, he appeared visibly nervous about potential interference in the course of the night time of the vote and/or authorized motion being taken to problem the legitimacy of the election outcomes after the actual fact.
Giraud, who’s affiliated with the Williamson County Citizens, a bunch of “grassroots conservatives” that believes in small authorities, low taxes and decreased regulation, defined that the Republican sect to which he belongs has been deeply at odds with the Williamson County Conservatives, who he described as much less ideologically-driven “institution Republicans.”
On the conference, bona fide Republicans would vote for a complete of eight get together leaders, chosen from the eight placed on the poll by Elevate, the Republican group with which Giraud is affiliated, and eight placed on the poll by the Williamson County Conservatives.
Within the weeks main as much as the conference, reports acknowledged that the Williamson County Republicans ran a misinformation marketing campaign during which they claimed that Elevate was making an attempt to suppress the vote as a result of the Williamson County Republican Social gathering (WCRP), made up of a majority of representatives from Elevate, mandated in-person voting on the conference, although this mandate comes from Tennessee’s Republican party bylaws.
In line with Giraud, the Williamson County Conservatives additionally claimed that the WCRP modified the venue final minute as a method to scale back voter turnout from supporters of Williamson County Conservatives.
Giraud argued that this wasn’t the case, although.
“Given the turnout we have been anticipating, we have been getting very near exceeding the utmost capability or occupancy price for the unique venue, the Franklin Manufacturing unit Liberty Corridor,” he defined.
“So, somebody on the Contest and Credentialing Committee (CCC) (which is a separate entity from the WCRP) mentioned he needed to change venue, which may drawback some voters. Now, the WCRP can have volunteers on the Manufacturing unit with indicators that say ‘Venue modified, go to the Marriott,’” he added.
“However we’re very involved that if the opposition loses, they are going to threaten lawsuits due to what the CCC did.”
What’s extra, the Williamson County Conservatives bombarded Williamson county residents with mailers, texts and robo-calls, partially funded by former Democrats.
Giraud mentioned that the Williamson County Conservatives “carpet bombed 16,000 bona fide Republicans in Williamson County with mailers — each 5,000 of which went out costing about $4,000.”
A report claimed that the Williamson County Conservatives spent $50,000 on this marketing campaign and that the messaging was “emotionally-charged and aggressive,” resulting in Williamson County Conservatives and Elevate each levying and responding to accusations made by the opposing group.
The Vote Counting Course of
Easy Proof doesn’t assure the validity of the vote tallies it helps to protect with the Bitcoin blockchain, so it’s as much as the native election board to make sure the legitimacy of the voting course of.
Giraud defined that solely bona fide voters can be allowed into the voting space the night time of the conference. He added that the voting space can be “secured by deputy sheriffs” and that every one voters are given a wristband that they need to take away as soon as they vote in order that they can’t vote twice.
All voting is completed on what Giraud referred to as “bubble playing cards,” on which voters use a Sharpie pen to fill of their selection eight candidates from the 16 on the poll (the Elevate candidates on one facet of the poll and the Williamson Nation Conservatives candidates on the opposite).
4 volunteer observers — two from Elevate and two from the Williamson County Conservatives — monitor the vote.
Through the vote, Giraud would act as a “Choose for Spoiled Ballots,” permitting him to be aware of any ballots on which somebody wrote exterior of the bubbles or different irregularities that would nullify a vote.
Ballots are fed by means of a machine (part of the voting course of that Giraud famous that he doesn’t essentially like — “I’m skeptical of something that includes a machine in relation to a poll marking machine,” he mentioned.)
The machines then produce the ultimate vote tally for the night time, although, the outcomes could possibly be hand counted on the request of both Elevate or the Williamson County Conservatives.
The Voting Outcomes
The Elevate candidates received all eight get together management seats.
The victory didn’t go uncontested, although.
After the machines produced the outcomes, the Williamson Nation Conservatives requested a guide recount, which the Tennessee State Election Fee performed, in response to Giraud. The recount resulted in Elevate profitable by a really barely wider margin than was initially reported. (Easy Proof timestamped each the initial results and the outcomes from the guide recount, linked within the first part of this piece, to the Bitcoin blockchain.)
“With the guide hand recount, we gained one vote,” mentioned Giraud.
Giraud additionally reported that his anxieties round potential voting interference the night time of the conference have been allayed, as the method went easily, apart from a minor, sudden incidence.
“There have been so many aged individuals right here that they opened the doorways up for early voting,” he mentioned.
By the top of the night time, Giraud wasn’t simply relieved, although, he was optimistic about what had transpired that night and likewise hopeful that Easy Proof’s expertise can be employed on a bigger scale.
“I simply launched what I did to the soon-to-be-former Chair of the Williamson County Republican Committee, who’s stepping down as of tonight,” mentioned Giraud.
“He was very excited that we have been doing this. I hope that he’ll assist us take this additional, not simply within the county, however in outlying counties in addition to as much as the state in some unspecified time in the future. That’s my purpose for the state of Tennessee: improve transparency,” he added.
“I’d hope even the opposite facet would strategy Carlos (Toriello) and Rafa (Cordon) and wish to use this for documentation in addition to future elections to carry us accountable and to drive reality and accountability. That’s my purpose as a involved citizen.”