In many places across the world we see societies struggling to express their views, vote or to just maintain their lives. Much of the problem is with inadequate or non-representational government. Mobile phones are the answer.

Sriram suggests that mobile food stamps are a useful option in his blog here. I heartily agree.  There are issues, in that not everyone has a mobile, and governments have not yet worked out how to use mobiles as identity, but these issues are easily overcome - just call me.

Food distribution is a complex issue in stressed communities but it is generally not necessary to identify each individual and their entitlement. Social structures generally exist which can provide the last mile distribution of food and aid.

More importantly, communications is necessary to co-ordinate the needs of citizens, be it food, aid, or disaster recovery efforts. Governments would be foolish to spend money on a card based identity system to ensure everyone had ID in preference to spending on food and communications, or to deny food based on identity or lack of it.

This century is shaping up to be the century of natural disasters, (assuming we get the banking system back on track and can overcome the financial disasters) and governments could better serve their citizens through preparation and organisation of communication channels to enable better response to what we know is coming.

Given the potential scale of natural disasters, the identity of hundreds of millions of refugees will be the least of our problems if those societies are not prepared to meet disasters and, with the help of their neighbours and the rest of the world, to rise above them and recover.

Perhaps the United Nations could maintain sufficient portable mobile infrastructure to deploy into any global disaster zone and get things back on track using mobiles as the foundation of communication and co-ordination, and eventual delivery of aid and assistance.

Better to spend the effort on restoring water, power and communications, rather than printing money, cards and card readers, and all the other sci-fi rubbish being peddled. It's when things go wrong that you most need them and I didn't notice too many waterproof biometric readers at the last trade show, so a lot of good they would have done post-disaster in Myanmar. My mobile has survived several fishing and boating expeditions with the assistance of a plastic bag, and I'm sure solar re-chargers would have communications up and running in hours in the event of sustained power outage, and the UN could easily help with the temporary mobile cell towers, we even deploy them at the footy matches to temporarily boost capacity.

Voting.

Africa could have done with a little mobile voting at recent elections. Mobile voting is a very effective way to prevent harrassment at the polling station. Given that the standard of 'security' for elections is quite low everywhere, mobiles offer a real 21st century solution to voting and lower cost elections. While particularly true for developing nations, the so-called advanced democracies have a long way to go before they can hold themselves up as an example for everyone else.

In Australia they still use a pencil on a paper ballot - hardly likely to guarantee democracy - all you need is a rubber and pencil to change the election results - rubbery figures at best. The U.S. uses multiple forms of some sort of crazy voting machine which has at least once in recent years, robbed the world's most powerful democracy of that very thing.

A mobile solution would be much more effective at providing and protecting democracy.

In the 21st century I believe that governments have enough to worry about, without wasting money on paper currency, ID cards and readers, complex unreliable election systems and communications when the mobile phone can provide for them all.

It makes so much sense you'll have to forgive me if I'm preaching the obvious.

P.S. The New York Times Reports:

At least 11 states will use new voting equipment as the nation shifts away from touch-screen machines and to the paper ballots of optical scanners, which will be used by more than 55 percent of voters.

About half of all voters will use machines unlike the ones they used in the last presidential election, experts say, and more than half of the states will use new statewide databases to verify voter registration.

With Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy expected to attract many people who have never encountered a voting machine, voting experts and election officials say they are worried that the system may buckle under the increased strain.

Dean: Plenty of room for errors there.