The US State of Colorado has a Democratic candidate who has positioned blockchain technology policies as a key component of his campaign in the upcoming gubernatorial elections.
Early adopter
Democratic nominee Jared Polis has held a bullish stance on bitcoin and blockchain for quite some time. In 2014, the congressman was an early crypto-evangelist. At the time he was making satirical arguments to ban the US dollar as a response to a Senator who was calling for bitcoin to be banned outright.
The entrepreneur turned politician has a distinctive modern-technology background; being an early adopter of the internet he founded American Information Systems, a dial-up internet service provider in the mid 90’s. Additionally, he has founded several cyber-businesses and was reported to have received USD 2,500 in Bitcoin campaign donations in 2014.
Now the pro-blockchain nominee has declared his intentions to turn Colorado into a “national hub for blockchain innovation in business and government”.
Polis said, “It’s still the early days in the evolution of blockchain, but we should take the opportunity to get out ahead. I’m thrilled to have worked with blockchain leaders to implement this bold, innovative vision that will make Colorado the best place in the country to start or grow a blockchain company.”
Blockchain policy highlights
The candidate believes that the security, transparency and efficiency of blockchain technologies can bring even higher standards to governance and election systems. Another part of the blockchain policy includes the implementation of new legislation that protects cryptocurrencies that can be used to buy goods or services.
Another policy is the integration of blockchain solutions to the energy grid, with hopes of making energy cheaper and more reliable for the state; he also wishes to digitize government records through the blockchain and boost transparency, allowing public access to Colorado contracts and expenditures.
Finally, Polis will collaborate with various financial, public and governmental entities, lawmakers and local communities, pushing the advancement of blockchain technology.
Blockchain pioneer
Polis is also a founder of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, a bipartisan platform for both industry and government to study and research blockchain technology. The caucus is presently attempting to push the ‘Cryptocurrency Tax Fairness Act of 2017‘ into law.
At a recent event in Boulder, Polis said that if the act is passed, it would make everyday cryptocurrency purchases easier. He said, “…we’re going to continue to fight to pass that into law to make it easier for people to not have to worry about tax liability or paperwork simply for using their currency of choice.”
At the event, he also bullishly compared to the boom of the internet to blockchain saying, “It’s clear that blockchain-based technologies and cryptocurrencies have great potential to truly transform our 21st-century economy probably in the greatest way since the internet did.”
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