Blockchain technology upgraded political campaign financing | Opinion

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In U.S. politics, campaign finance reporting is one of the most crucially vital parts of any election. While still important, the reporting standards and practices are dated. Currently, candidates must fill out and send reports to the Federal Election Commission every three months. Which then means voters, donors, or any other campaign stakeholders have to wait months before they see vital information on campaign financing and funding. Although today, using blockchain technology, a lot of this information can reliably be delivered in real time. 

Summary

• Campaign finance is stuck in batch mode: Quarterly filings delay transparency, while blockchain can deliver real-time visibility into funding flows.
• Public wallets enable live verification: Voters, journalists, and donors can independently track contributions and spending without waiting for intermediaries.
• Transparency shifts incentives: Continuous on-chain disclosure makes questionable activity easier to flag early — turning reporting into active accountability.

Real-time verification through a public wallet

During our campaign, we chose to use a public crypto wallet so donors and voters could verify activity directly. Instead of waiting for a filing window, anyone could view the wallet, check balances, and see transactions as they occurred. The ledger created a live record of campaign funds, allowing people to follow the flow of money without intermediaries interpreting or summarizing it later.

In practical terms, on-chain records show the transaction amount, the sending address, and the timestamp. Journalists, analysts, and voters can review activity themselves rather than relying on delayed reports or second-hand explanations. Expenditures can be tracked the same way, creating a permanent record of spending that remains visible over time. Anyone with basic tools can confirm activity independently, without relying on summaries released weeks later.

Public ledgers already operate at scale

There is a global rise in demand for blockchain technology as regulations and policies are opening the gates for the industry. With the CLARITY Act set to pass this year, there is a lot of momentum now within the legislative branch.

Currently, nearly 1 in 10 people own cryptocurrencies. At the same time, government and corporate interest in crypto is increasing as stablecoin regulation is advancing across more than 70 percent of major jurisdictions, and roughly 80 percent of jurisdictions have new digital asset initiatives from financial institutions.

The idea of real-time public reporting aligns with other sectors that have embraced digital auditability. Finance departments in corporations are increasingly exploring crypto workflows. A mid-2025 survey found that nearly 24 percent of North American chief financial officers expect to use digital currency in their finance operations within two years.

A practical use case for political finance

With the financial systems and the modern infrastructure already set in place, blockchain can easily be implemented in the political environment. Apart from transparency, on-chain features could prevent errors and fraud as it automatically links and timestamp transactions.

Apart from the transparency, implementing blockchain features in the campaign can prevent errors and fraud. Traditional batch reporting can lead to mistakes because it relies on manual reconciliation and delayed submission.

Meanwhile, distributed ledgers automatically link and timestamp transactions. Academic research highlights how on-chain systems can enhance traceability and trust across sectors by eliminating opaque intermediaries and enabling third parties to validate records independently.

Oversight and practical accountability

Transparency around who is funding a campaign is not only expected, it is imperative for accountability. Blockchain infrastructure modernizes how that transparency happens. Rather than relying on delayed filings and databases, on-chain systems can provide real-time visibility to funding whilst still using blockchain standards to ensure accuracy, integrity, and compliance. This is about making disclosures clearer, faster, and harder to manipulate.

Public wallets can transform campaign finance from retrospective reporting into active verification. Instead of waiting weeks or months to learn how money moved, voters can see live transactions and trust the campaign’s contributions are from legitimate sources. This can change incentives, questionable activity is flagged earlier, and accountability happens continuously, making empty promises harder to sustain. By aligning transparency with the pace of modern decision-making, blockchain restores confidence in the system and gives voters a clearer basis for choosing leaders who operate in the open.

Michael Carbonara

Michael Carbonara is a South Florida entrepreneur, husband, and father running for Congress in Florida’s 25th District. Raised in a working‐class, faith‐centered household in New York, he built companies that create jobs and solve real problems, from payments and banking to genetics and fertility care. He is also the co-founder of Ibanera, where he helped build regulated digital finance and crypto infrastructure focused on transparency, compliance, and financial inclusion. Carbonara is running to restore affordability, defend constitutional freedoms, and put public safety first. He brings a builder’s mindset: cut red tape, spur innovation, and make government accountable so families and small businesses can thrive.