Donations made to political parties using cryptocurrencies will be banned in Ireland under new political integrity laws drafted due to concerns around foreign interference in politics. Amendments proposed by Minister Darragh O’Brien also cover rules around foreign donations, misinformation, and other transparency requirements for political parties, citing fears of Russian interference in Ireland’s elections. Speaking with the Independent on Monday, O’Brien said that the laws will further protect Ireland’s democratic system “given the escalating threat of cyber warfare targeting free countries,” and a newly established Electoral Commission will oversee compliance with the laws. It is unclear what percentage or monetary …

Protect Our Future, a political action committee set up in January, with backers including FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, has spent more than $9 million to support candidates running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to expenditures reported to the U.S. Federal Election Commission, as of April 14, Protect Our Future has used $9,024,317 toward supporting the campaigns of Carrick Flynn, Lucia McBath, Shontel Brown and Jasmine Crockett to represent separate districts in Oregon, Georgia, Ohio and Texas, respectively. McBath and Brown are incumbent candidates, while Crockett currently represents Texas’ 100th District in the state’s House of Representatives. …

As Russia’s self-styled “special operation” against Ukraine continues, crippling economic sanctions remain the Western powers’ primary weapon to counter Russia’s military actions without triggering an even more dramatic escalation. As NATO and allies’ financial offensive unfolds, ensuring that the collective West presents a united front remains political leaders’ chief concern. The global crypto industry keeps getting suspicious looks as some agents of state power are seemingly entrenched in their beliefs that digital assets could be the weak spot undermining the efficiency of the sanctions push. Despite ample evidence to the contrary — including the FBI director’s Congress testimony — there …

Aarika Rhodes, an elementary school teacher-turned congressional candidate, recently featured in the Bitcoin Day Sacramento 2022 event to discuss the impact of Bitcoin (BTC) in local politics. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Rhodes highlighted the difficulty for grassroots candidates like herself to compete against established members of the US Congress. Our campaign has officially adopted Lighting for campaign contributions.⚡️ This revolutionary technology creates accessibility and looks towards the future. I am excited to provide this option to our supporters across all 50 states. #Bitcoin — Aarika for CA-32 (@AarikaRhodes) November 30, 2021 “If it wasn’t for Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, a …

Democrat Eric Adams, who said he planned to make New York City “the center of Bitcoins” if elected mayor, has won his race against Republican Curtis Sliwa. Following the Nov. 2 Election Day results, Adams will be replacing Bill de Blasio as the mayor of New York City, defeating Sliwa and other candidates with 72.8% of the vote. He is expected to take office on Jan. 1. It's official -- our five-borough, knock-every-door, reach-every-voter campaign was successful: We have won the race for Mayor of New York City! This is my dream come true, and I couldn’t be more proud …

Holly Kim, a treasurer in Lake County, Illinois, has reportedly become the first political candidate in the state to accept crypto campaign donations. According to the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday, Kim recently received a $3 Litecoin (LTC) donation from Mark Tan, founder of T Capital Coin, an investment management outfit based in Lake Forest. The Lake County Treasurer who is up for reelection in 2022 plans to accept Bitcoin (BTC) and many of the popular cryptocurrencies including Ether (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Dai (DAI). For Kim, accepting crypto donations opens up a “new frontier” for support from tech-savvy people, adding: …

Justus Abonyo, former chair of Kenya’s Social Democratic Party and current candidate for commissioner of the country’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has called for the adoption of blockchain voting. According to a report by Kenyan news outlet, The Star, Abonyo spoke of this while appearing before the selection committee overseeing the appointment of IEBC commissioners at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Thursday. Detailing his support for blockchain voting adoption, Abonyo said such a move would have significant, cost savings benefits of up to 300%, stating: “The cost of a ballot in Kenya ranges between $7 to $25 …

A new protocol says it is powering blockchain-backed digital democracy — creating voting platforms that are completely devoid of any external private or public influence. Civicpower has bold ambitions to become the world’s biggest blockchain-backed voting app, and a one-stop-shop where the public can have their say. Governments and organizations can use this platform to canvass opinion, and the infrastructure is also well-suited to performing referendums where the public are given two choices. Crucially, this protocol is open to all — and that means any citizen can create their very own ballot. High-profile influencers can also engage their community in …

The United States’ National Republican Congressional Committee — the body responsible for coordinating Republican electoral efforts — is introducing donations in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). The NRCC announced Wednesday on Twitter that the committee will begin accepting crypto donations for election campaigns, sending its fundraising efforts “to the moon.” https://t.co/aIisNV5BiD pic.twitter.com/F9ktKFfHAq — NRCC (@NRCC) June 17, 2021 According to a Wednesday report by Axios news agency, the NRCC will process crypto donations using major payment platform BitPay, through which donations will be immediately converted to U.S. dollars. The cash conversion means that the NRCC will be able to accept individual …

Decentralized governance, a facet of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), is perhaps the most valuable application smart contracts could bring to humanity. DAOs can be thought of as living organisms on the internet, entities that would function autonomously according to distributed consensus mechanisms. Managed by a community through voting, DAOs are self-governing systems with a built-in treasury. Although they still depend on community members for certain tasks — offering an economic incentive from the liquidity pool in return — DAOs are almost entirely automated. Despite their potential, DAOs do not rank among the most popular decentralized technologies. Perhaps their reputation hasn’t …

Russia's State Duma has approved a new draft bill in its first reading that would require election candidates to disclose their crypto holdings, expenditures and purchases. The draft bill also asks election candidates to indicate a source of income for cryptocurrency purchases and requires crypto declarations not only from the actual candidates but also their spouses and minor children for the past three years. Introduced in March, the draft bill includes a set of amendments to existing Russian law like those on presidential and State Duma deputy elections, guarantees of the electoral rights, as well as the country’s major cryptocurrency …

Robert Valentine, chairman of the Libertarian Party in the Netherlands, has erected a number of pro-crypto billboards in advance of an election later this week. In an image shared on Valentine’s Twitter account, the Libertarian Party leader appears with laser eyes atop a message that states, “Bitcoin is the future.” The party is one of 37 vying for seats in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, which is scheduled to hold a general election on Wednesday. Je zou toch maar met je hoofd op een paar billboards staan van 13 bij 10 meter. #Verkiezingen2021 #TK2021 #bitcoin #stemLP pic.twitter.com/GQcqa8Uy1e — …