Unveiling the Mystery: The Elusive Crypto Voter

• Crypto Engagement in Political Platforms
• Political Interest in Crypto
• Crypto as a Campaign Issue
• Exploring Voter Concerns
• A Platform for Engagement
• Increasing Awareness
• Crypto in Election Campaigns
• Crypto News
• Crypto Regulations and Future Concerns

Crypto Engagement in Political Platforms

The persisting discussion surrounding crypto during the election season indicates an emerging audience, intensifying curiosity about whether cryptocurrency will become a pertinent voter issue.

Political Interest in Crypto

A New Hampshire state representative recently inquired if any individuals attending an industry campaign event were visiting from different states. The affirmative response from over half of the attendees accentuated a significant interest in hearing industry representatives, state lawmakers, and notably, three presidential candidates speak about the upcoming election.

Crypto as a Campaign Issue

Cryptocurrency has occasionally been a topic of discussion in political debates, with several candidates expressing their views on the matter. However, compared to issues like economy and healthcare, crypto doesn't rank as a top priority for voters. Nevertheless, efforts to establish cryptocurrency as a voter concern are gaining momentum, but it remains uncertain whether this movement will bear fruit by the next election in November.

Exploring Voter Concerns

Presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and Rep. Dean Phillips recently took to the stage in Manchester, New Hampshire, to discuss their standpoints on cryptocurrency issues. Many attendees, including New Hampshire State Representative Keith Ammon and industry figures like Coinbase's Kara Calvert, were present to hear the candidates' views. None of the audience members expressed that crypto issues would be their primary voting concern, though their attendance at a crypto-focused political event indicates an increased engagement in the industry.

A Platform for Engagement

The candidate forum was organized by Stand With Crypto, a Coinbase-supported organization, which, apart from raising over $2 million from around 80,000 individual contributors, aims to directly link crypto enthusiasts with their elected officials. Blockchain technology, according to Ammon and Majority Leader Jason Osborne, is piquing people's interest as its comprehension grows among the population. This increase in interest presents an excellent opportunity for political candidates to connect with an enthusiastic segment of society.

Increasing Awareness

Attendees, like Justin Gilanyi, founder of WhereArt.Works, and Abbie Li, a former Ph.D. student at Harvard, expressed enthusiasm for the potential of crypto and blockchain technology. They emphasized the need for sensible legislation and leadership that understands this new technology to ensure economic sustainability and job creation in America.

Crypto in Election Campaigns

The participating candidates are not leading contenders for their parties' nominations. Whether crypto becomes a significant campaign issue to warrant the attention of high-ranking political figures is an open question as of December 2023.

Crypto News

Recent crypto-related developments include India's potential delay of a crypto-specific bill by 18 months, Binance's cessation of support for the Russian ruble on its P2P trading platform, and an announcement by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan about a trilateral initiative on North Korea's WMD program mentioning crypto. Additionally, some anti-money laundering provisions were dropped from the final version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Crypto Regulations and Future Concerns

A series of articles and reports discusses the potential influence of crypto on future legislation, the market structure, stablecoin bills, and the compliance requirements that companies like Binance will need to meet as a result of settlements. These include granting the U.S. government access.

Wider engagement with crypto-related issues and the emergence of tools such as the AI-powered ChatGPT for drafting briefs suggest the growing influence of technology and cryptocurrency in various sectors.

Edited by Jonathan Stoker