Systems and methods for secure aggregation and canvassing of voting data

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods for secure aggregation and canvassing of voting data, comprising an at least one processing unit having a result aggregation 5 component configured to at least: perform at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system and an at least one election activity; receive voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine; add timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determine if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the 0 received voting data or election data is acceptable, assign an accept data label and if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assign a deny data label; process received voting data or the election data with the accept data label; allow an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determine result data from the processed voting data or election data by 5 automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and display the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof; an at least one user interface, connected to the processing unit, for allowing access and configuration to the said processing unit; an at least one data storage device for storing 0 the processed result data by the processing unit; and an at least one communications unit, connected to the processing unit, configured to at least send the processed result data to an at least one third-party device and / or an at least one remote server.

Description

[0001] SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SECURE AGGREGATION AND CANVASSING OF VOTING DATA

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to systems and methods for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] During election data canvassing, voting data from a great number of election precincts are acquired, verified, and aggregated to determine the final results. This process is critical and thus requires careful handling of election data while maintaining data security and integrity. The past methods involve manual canvassing which is laborious and is prone to a variety of errors and fraud. In recent years, however, digitalization of election systems has commenced which modernized the canvassing of election data and also introduced several risks in cybersecurity. The said election systems are susceptible to cyberattacks, data manipulation, and unauthorized access. There is then a need to implement methodologies that ensure transparency and auditability in the canvassing process which allows election officers as well as the voters to verify that the election has been conducted in a fair manner.

[0006] US7464874B2 (US '874) discloses systems and methods for tabulating and reporting data for elections. The system aims to improve the confidence in the legitimacy of the election by providing a system having a computational engine which only provides an encrypted historical data of the activities relating to the tabulation of the ballots. The present invention then provides a system that is capable of sorting the election data and determining if the data is acceptable or not based on predefined security criteria. The present invention provides an improvement of US '874 such that the present invention performs at least one cryptographic means and allows the election officer to verify the integrity of the processed election data.

[0007] To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention discloses a system and method for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data. The invention provides a system capable of implementing security measures leading to a more secured and transparent election process to maintain public trust. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention relates to a system for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data. The system comprises an at least one processing unit having a result aggregation component configured to at least: perform at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system and an at least one election activity; receive voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine; add timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determine if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assign an accept data label and if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assign a deny data label; process received voting data or the election data with the accept data label; allow an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determine result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and display the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof; an at least one user interface, connected to the processing unit, for allowing access and configuration to the said processing unit; an at least one data storage device for storing the processed result data by the processing unit; and an at least one communications unit, connected to the processing unit, configured to at least send the processed result data to an at least one third-party device and / or an at least one remote server.

[0011] In the second aspect of this invention, the processing unit is further configured to allow the auditing of the result data using a trail log of the voting data or the result data by using at least one user interface.

[0012] In the third aspect of this invention, at least one processing unit is further configured to generate an at least one report based on the audited election data or result data preferably using an at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one report comprises a comprehensive information of the election data or result data such as the transmitted information during the election event.

[0013] The method according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: performing an at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system and an at least one election activity; receiving voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine; adding timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determining if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assigning an accept data label to the received voting data or election data; if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assigning a deny data label to the received voting data or election data; processing the received voting data or the election data with the accept data label and the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; allowing an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determining the result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and displaying the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof.

[0014] In another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the step of: allowing the auditing of the result data using a trail log of the voting data or the result data by using the at least one user interface; and generate an at least one report based on the audited election data or result data preferably using an at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one report comprises a comprehensive information of the election data or result data such as the transmitted information during the election event. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are included to understand the present invention further, are incorporated herein to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Along with the description, they also explain the principle of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting. In the drawings:

[0016] FIG. 1 presents a diagram of system components in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 presents a diagram of system components in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 3 shows the flow chart of the method for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data; and

[0019] FIG. 4 shows the flow chart of the method for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data.

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention relates to systems and methods for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data.

[0022] FIG. 1 presents the block diagram of the system for managing an election event, wherein the system 100 communicates with at least one internal or external device such as at least one training kiosk 101, at least one voting machine 102, at least one cloud or remote server 103. This enables the system 100 to exchange data between the said devices preferably the exchange of election data or communication data associated to the election event. The said system 100 may also exchange data between other similar systems 108 for managing the election event or a third-party device 109.

[0023] The system 100 preferably comprises at least one processing unit 104, at least one user interface 105, at least one data storage device 106, and at least one communications unit 107. It is conceivable that the at least one processing unit 104, at least one user interface 105, at least one data storage device 106, and at least one communications unit 107 are interconnected such that a data exchange exists between them. The at least one processing unit 104 processes the data received by the system 100 which can be through the at least one user interface 105 as inputted by one or more users or received via the at least one communications unit 107. The processed data can be training data or profile associated to at least one election officer relating to the training and / or certification of the said election officer via the processing unit 104 or a dedicated component of the processing unit 104. The processed data can also be data exchanged with at least one training kiosk 101 as preprocessed by at least one kiosk processing unit and communicated via the training kiosk's 101 kiosk communications unit. In another preferred embodiment, the processed data relate to the election data communicated by at least one voting machine 102.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the system 100 comprises at least one processing unit 104 which can be any microcontroller, microprocessor, or any hardware device capable of processing data, issuing instructions, or executing calculations associated to the election event. The processing unit 104 is configured to perform at least one functionality such as: allowing an at least one voter to register for the election event; deploying an at least one election officer; managing an at least one election activity and an at least one election subprocess associated to the election event; implementing at least one security protocol for the election event; collating result data from an at least one voting machine 102; processing the collated result data; and presenting the collated and processed result data via an at least one digital means.

[0025] In another preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 is configured to perform at least one functionality such as: performing an at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system 100 and an at least one election activity; receiving voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine 102; adding timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determining if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assigning an accept data label to the received voting data or election data; if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assigning a deny data label to the received voting data or election data; processing the received voting data or the election data with the accept data label and the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label ; allowing an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determining the result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and displaying the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof.

[0026] The at least one processing unit 104 preferably performs advanced processing means such as intelligent systems, predictive algorithm, artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithm, machine learning, deep learning, or combinations thereof. This enables the system 100 to perform its operations with more time efficiency and accuracy.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the system 100 comprises at least one user interface 105 which is provided to at least one election officer or an authorized user. This can then display the data associated to the election event or means for controlling the system 100 such as accessing the system configuration, security settings, any means for managing the said system 100, or an overview of the management of the election event. Preferably, the user interface 105 is one or more input devices, input / output devices or display / input devices which may include simple analog buttons, a system of switches, digital displays, liquid crystal displays (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) displays, multi-point touch input screens, or combinations thereof. It is conceivable that the user interface 105 provides an at least one means for user interaction with the system 100.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the system 100 comprises at least one data storage device 106 for storing election data, associated to the election event, after being processed by the processing unit 104. The at least one data storage device 106 stores the processed result data by the processing unit 104. Preferably, the said election data are stored before sending the said data to other devices. This aims to lessen the risk of data loss by providing a backup storage within the system 100 which can also be used in data aggregation. It is preferred that the at least one data storage device 106 is a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions or memory devices that can be any medium or mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine or computer. The at least one data storage device 106 or the memory device can have a primary memory device and / or a secondary memory device as a backup storage device. The at least one data storage device 106 can be a read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, hard disk storage, optical storage media, flash memory devices, universal serial bus (USB) drive, secure digital (SD) card, memory chip, or a combination thereof.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the system 100 comprises at least one communications unit 107 to enable the exchange of data between the system 100 and at least one internal or external device such as, but is not limited to, at least one training kiosk 101, at least one voting machine 102, at least one cloud or remote server 103, one or more similar systems for managing the election event 108, and / or one or more third-party devices 109. The exchange of information can be the transfer of sensitive election data such as the polling results, the user or voter's data including personal data, and / or election event data, for example. The at least one communications unit 107 can be any transmitter, receiver, or transceiver used for long range (LoRa) modulation, radio frequency (RF), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, infrared, near field communication (NFC), visible light communication, microwave communication, satellite communication, Li-Fi, WiMax, ZigBee, cellular communication, code division multiple access (CDMA), 2G, global system for mobiles (GSM), 3G, 4G, long term evolution (LTE), long term evolution advanced (LTE-advanced), 5G, 5.5G, 6G, 6.5G, 7G, any other wireless communications protocol, or a combination thereof. The use of the said communications protocols establishes versatility and future proofing of the system 100 by allowing the selection of the most suitable communications unit for a certain physical environment or the location of the voting precinct. For example, if the voting precinct is located in a remote rural area, then the communications unit 107 can be configured to use long range (LoRa) modulation, radio frequency (RF), microwave communication, satellite communication, or combinations thereof. This further enables the assurance of data transmission while also incorporating means for data security.

[0030] In another preferred embodiment, the system 100 communicates with at least one training kiosk 101 via the at least one communications unit 107 via wired or wireless means. The at least one training kiosk 101 is configured to provide one or more modules for recruitment, training, and deployment of at least one election officer. The training kiosk 101 operates with the processing unit 104 to provide comprehensive training, simulations, and assessments in a digital environment.

[0031] In yet another preferred embodiment, the system 100 communicates with at least one voting machine 102 via the at least one communications unit 107. The at least one voting machine 102 is preferably a device for computing, collating, verifying authenticity, or performing an at least one process on the machine-readable data in the election ballots via the scanning of the said ballots, counting the votes for a particular candidate, and collating election data, for example. The said machine-readable data are preferably election data associated to the election event. The voting machine 102 can also be an advanced counting machine that ensures the security, accuracy, and transparency of the election event of the election process. Preferably, the at least one voting machine 102 is reconfigurable and offers easy customization by an authorized election officer to accommodate a wide range of election types and election related activities. This ensures interoperability with the system 100 as well as the other devices used for the election event. It is preferred that the voting machine 102 comprises parts allowing modularity and ensuring the ease to upgrade the voting machine's 102 parts accommodating new technologies. The said features ensure that the voting machine 102 remains up to date with the latest advancements, providing long-term sustainability and reliability in election management. For example, the voting machine 102 utilizes user authentication and digital signing using hardware cryptography preferably through public key infrastructure (PKI) wherein the PKI is a system of processes, technologies, and policies that allows the encryption and signing of data. Moreover, the use of PKI allows the voting machine 102 to issue digital certificates that authenticate the identity of the voters, ballots, services relating to the election event, other voting machines and / or the voting machine 102 itself. The said digital certificates creates a secure connection between the system 100 and / or voting machine 102 with the cloud / remote server 103. In another possible embodiment, the voting machine 102 comprises one or more means for authentication such as biometric authentication to check if the voter is registered to cast votes on a specific voting machine 102. In another preferred embodiment, the voting machine 102 utilizes multilingual support which aims to provide translation of machine instructions to different languages or dialects, as well as handicapped persons or persons with disability (PWD)-friendly instructions depending on the voting machine's 102 location or user preferences such as the use of audible instructions or the Braille system. This feature ensures that the voting machine 102 is operable by the election officer and / or the voter regardless of any disability while also dismissing language barriers. In yet another preferred embodiment, the voting machine 102 comprises one or more tracking device to monitor or determine the voting machine's geographical location and one or more internal or external condition using at least one sensor, wherein the internal or external condition relates to, but is not limited to, ambient temperature, internal temperature, humidity, vibration, orientation, or combinations thereof. In another embodiment, the voting machine 102 can be located remotely to facilitate absentee voting, for example. In this case, the voting machine 102 determines and logs its geographical location and transmits the data to the system 100 or a central server for security and monitoring. This feature is to facilitate the election to voters living abroad or those who are unable to attend the official voting location in the determined time.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the invention, the election data comprises one or more information relating to the election process such as, but not limited to, at least one election title, at least one precinct name associated to at least one geographical location where the election process is conducted, one or more election candidate information or the candidates' names for a particular position, or at least one political party name, for example. It is conceivable that the said election data are machine-readable data or intelligible codes that are configured to be accessed and / or processed by at least one system 100, at least one training kiosk 101, at least one voting machine 102, at least one cloud or remote server 103, and / or at least one third-party device 109 in a secured manner via at least one wired or wireless means.

[0033] In still another preferred embodiment, the system 100 communicates with at least one cloud or remote server 103 via the at least one communications unit 107. The at least one cloud or remote server 103 is a remotely available complex processing unit that can utilize one or more servers, databases, computers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or any hardware device capable of processing data, issuing instructions, or executing calculations. It is conceivable that the cloud or remote server 103 can perform parallel computing if complex data, analysis, or decision is required. The cloud or remote server 103 can be accessed via any communications protocol such as but is not limited to long range (LoRa) modulation, radio frequency (RF), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), fiber optics, wired communications media, Bluetooth, infrared, near field communication (NFC), visible light communication, microwave communication, satellite communication, Li-Fi, WiMax, ZigBee, cellular communication, code division multiple access (CDMA), 2G, global system for mobiles (GSM), 3G, 4G, long term evolution (LTE), long term evolution advanced (LTE-advanced), 5G, 5.5G, 6G, 6.5G, 7G, or a combination of thereof.

[0034] In another preferred embodiment, the system 100 communicates with one or more other systems 108 for managing another election process, any election subprocess, or any election related process via the at least one communications unit 107. The one or more other systems 108 can be connected in a same local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular network, a metropolitan area network (MAN), or a wide area network (WAN). It is conceivable that the one or more systems 108 are located in a different geographic location such as one or more precincts and / or one or more voting areas to perform the tasks associated to the election process.

[0035] In another preferred embodiment, the system 100 communicates with one or more third- party devices 109 via the at least one communications unit 107. The one or more third-party devices 109 can be an authorized network device capable of receiving election data such as the election results which can be a smartphone or computer connected either to an internal or external network.

[0036] FIG. 2 presents a diagram of system components in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The processing unit 104 of the system 100 is expanded to include at least one component that is dedicated to process at least one functionality. This may further enable faster processing times, increased accuracy, and / or better system management exhibited by device isolation in case an error in the system occurs. The said advantages are achieved by having a dedicated component that is focused on a certain task wherein its processing power or computational capability is fully optimized. Preferably, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one component such as, but is not limited to, at least one registration component 203, at least one training and certification component 204, at least one election management and configuration component 205, at least one ballot designer component 206, at least one security component 207, at least one result aggregation component 208, at least one online voting component 209, at least one transparency portal component 210, and / or at least one analytics component 211.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one registration component 203. The at least one registration component 203 is preferably configured to allow an at least one voter to register for the election event. The registration component 203 preferably manages the registration of eligible voters while ensuring the accuracy and the integrity of voter rolls, eligible voters list, voter registration data, and / or voter database. Preferably, the registration component 203 comprises at least one means to verify the identity of at least one voter as well as to ensure that the voters meet the eligibility criteria, and / or at least one voting requirement.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one training and certification component 204. The at least one training and certification component 204 is preferably configured to manage the deployment of an at least one election officer.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one election management and configuration component 205. The at least one election management and configuration component 205 is preferably configured to manage an at least one election activity and an at least one election subprocess associated to the election event.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one ballot designer component 206. The at least one ballot designer component 206 is preferably a digital platform, app, or software that is used for designing a ballot for the election process.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one security component 207. The at least one security component 207 is preferably configured to ensure the security of the election event. It is preferred that the at least one security component 207 is configured to safeguard digital assets and ensure the integrity and authenticity of the election related transactions such as the processing and transmission of the election data.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the system 100 comprises at least one processing unit 104 which is preferably at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for a dedicated implementation of one or more tasks, processes, one or more set of instructions. The use of ASICs substantially increase the performance and energy efficiency of the processing unit 104 while reducing the costs associated with the implementation of the system's 100 functionalities. This is especially beneficial for election processes when a large amount of data are received, analyzed and processed. In some embodiments, the at least one processing unit 104 can be any microcontroller, microprocessor, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or any hardware device capable of processing data, issuing instructions, or executing calculations associated to the election event. The processing unit 104 is configured to perform at least one functionality such as: performing an at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system 100 and an at least one election activity; receiving voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine 102; adding timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determining if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assigning an accept data label to the received voting data or election data; if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assigning a deny data label to the received voting data or election data; processing the received voting data or the election data with the accept data label and the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label ; allowing an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determining the result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and displaying the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises an at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for a dedicated implementation of one or more tasks, processes, one or more set of instructions. The ASIC can then be an at least one result aggregation component 208 that is preferably configured to collate result data from an at least one voting machine 102. The result aggregation 208 functions as a transmission point for the assigned voting machines 102 within a certain jurisdiction or election area such as the voting precinct. Preferably, the at least one result aggregation component 208 transmits at least one consolidation report to an upper result aggregation system that is assigned to a higher-level administrative unit belonging to the same jurisdiction where the voting machine is assigned to.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one ASIC and / or the at least one result aggregation component 208 is preferably configured to at least: performing an at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system 100 and an at least one election activity; receiving voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine 102; adding timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determining if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assigning an accept data label to the received voting data or election data; if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assigning a deny data label to the received voting data or election data; processing the received voting data or the election data with the accept data label and the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label ; allowing an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determining the result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and displaying the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof.

[0045] It is also possible that the processing unit 104 is configured to perform the above processes directly without the need for a separate component. However, the use of the result aggregation component 208 provides more efficient isolation of tasks and distribution of workloads. In this case, the troubleshooting of the system 100 is also made easier. Moreover, the system 100 can also replace the said component 208 at any time for replacement or upgrading to include better functionalities, for example.

[0046] In another preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one result aggregation component 208. The at least one result aggregation component 208 is preferably configured to at least: secure the system 100 and the processes related to the election event by implementing or using at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one cryptographic means can be unbroken cryptographic algorithms, digital certificates, hardware cryptographic tokens, or combinations thereof which ensure a high level of cybersecurity; receive result data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine 102; implement a timestamping service for each of the received result data or election data for providing non-repudiation of the election data, result data, or election related documents or election materials with a cryptographically secure method of confirming the creation date and the time of the report associated to the said election data; display the received result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof; audit the trail log of the election data or result data preferably using the at least one cryptographic means; and generate an at least one report based on the audited election data or result data preferably using the at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one report comprises a comprehensive information of the election data or result data such as the transmitted information during the election event.

[0047] Moreover, the at least one result aggregation component 208 is configured to use an at least one hardware cryptographic token. The said hardware cryptographic token functions as a physical multi-factor authentication means. This works along with an at least one access pin and is preferably resistant to common cyberattacks such as phishing.

[0048] The at least one cryptographic means or may also be referred to as cryptographic algorithm is used to digitally sign transmission packages and reports which include portable document format (PDF) reports relating to the election event. This further ensures the authenticity of the documents comprising election data or results data as well as the election materials.

[0049] In still another preferred embodiment, the at least one result aggregation component 208 comprises an easy-to-use user interface for the election officer or the board of canvassers to allow the efficient and transparent presentation of the election data or result data.

[0050] Preferably, the result aggregation component 208 comprises a dedicated security component having the same features and functionalities with the voting machine such as the usage of at least one hardware cryptographic token and at least one digital signature. The security component of the result aggregation component 208 is a unit, device, or a processing unit that is configured to perform or implement at least one security protocol for the election event. The security component can be an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) device, at least one security gateway, at least one firewall configured to act as the primary safeguard security tool such as, but is not limited to, a packet filtering firewall, stateful packetfiltering firewall, proxy firewall, web application firewall, or at least one intrusion detection system (IDS), host-based IDS, network-based IDS, or at least one intrusion prevention system (IPS), or a combination of IDS and IPS. In some embodiments, the security component can also be a unified threat management (UTM) device that consolidates various security functions and features such as network firewall, intrusion detection and prevention, gateway anti-virus, proxy firewall functionality, deep packet analysis, web content filtering and proxy, data loss prevention (DLP), security event and information management (SIEM), virtual private network (VPN) capabilities , endpoint protection, endpoint detection and response (EDR), network detection and response (NDR), extended detection and response (XDR), or combinations thereof. The use of the said security protocols further ensures the election data integrity and increases the efficiency of the election process management.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one online voting component 209. The at least one online voting component 209 is, preferably, a digital platform configured to perform means for implementing security measures or maintaining the accuracy and transparency of the election event or election process. The online voting component 209 comprises a modular architecture that allows for easy customization and adaption to accommodate different election events or election scenarios.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one transparency portal component 210. The at least one transparency portal component 210 is preferably configured to allow at least one voter or any person to have access to the result data and / or election data or the election results via at least one electronic means such as, but is not limited to, an online application or website accessible by a smartphone, a computer, a third-party device, or combinations thereof. It is conceivable that the transparency portal component 210 provides a trusted and reliable source of information about the status of the election results.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the processing unit 104 comprises at least one analytics component 211. The at least one analytics component 211 is preferably configured to process the collated result data from the result aggregation component 208. In some embodiments, the at least one analytics component 211 preferably performs advanced processing means such as intelligent systems, predictive algorithm, artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithm, machine learning, deep learning, or combinations thereof. The analytics component 211 provides an analysis tool for post-election statistics and helps the election officer to easily analyze election data or result data, log files, search, and filter any data to help optimize the system's 100 performance, identify security threats, and streamline the troubleshooting of the election event or process, election activities, or election subprocesses. In another preferred embodiment, the system 100 communicates with at least one training kiosk 101 via wired or wireless means provided by the at least one communications unit 107. The at least one training kiosk 101 comprises at least one kiosk interface 200, at least one kiosk communications unit 201, and at least one kiosk processing unit 202.

[0054] The at least one training kiosk 101 comprises at least one kiosk interface 200, wherein the at least one kiosk interface 200 can be one or more input devices, input / output devices or display / input devices which may include simple analog buttons, a system of switches, digital displays, liquid crystal displays (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) displays, multi-point touch input screens, or combinations thereof.

[0055] The at least one training kiosk 101 comprises at least one kiosk communications unit 201, wherein the at least one kiosk communications unit 201 enables the transfer of data via wired or wireless means from the training kiosk 101 to the system 100, to another system used for election 108, or to a third-party device 109. The at least one kiosk communications unit 201 can be any transmitter, receiver, or transceiver used for long range (LoRa) modulation, radio frequency (RF), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, infrared, near field communication (NFC), visible light communication, microwave communication, satellite communication, Li-Fi, WiMax, ZigBee, cellular communication, code division multiple access (CDMA), 2G, global system for mobiles (GSM), 3G, 4G, long term evolution (LTE), long term evolution advanced (LTE-advanced), 5G, 5.5G, 6G, 6.5G, 7G, any other wireless communications protocol, or a combination thereof.

[0056] The at least one training kiosk 101 comprises at least one kiosk processing unit 202, wherein the at least one kiosk processing unit 202 is a dedicated processing unit that is integrated or embedded in the training kiosk 101. This enables the isolation of the processing function from the system 100. Moreover, the at least one training kiosk 101 can be a device that is remotely located physically or geographically and is connected in a different network from the system 100. The connection between the training kiosk 101 and the system 100 is then enabled by the at least one kiosk communications unit 201. Preferably, the at least one kiosk processing unit 202 can be any microcontroller, microprocessor, or any hardware device capable of processing data, issuing instructions, or executing calculations associated to the election process preferably related to the management of the training and deployment of one or more election officer for the election process.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one kiosk processing unit 202 preferably performs advanced processing means such as intelligent systems, predictive algorithm, artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithm, machine learning, deep learning, or combinations thereof. This enables the training kiosk 101 to perform its operations with more time efficiency and accuracy.

[0058] The at least one training kiosk 101 further comprises at least one kiosk data storage device for storing any data associated to the election or training process. It is preferred that the at least one kiosk data storage device is a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions or memory devices that can be any medium or mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine or computer. The at least one kiosk data storage device or the memory device can have a primary memory device and / or a secondary memory device as a backup storage device. The at least one kiosk data storage device can be a read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, hard disk storage, optical storage media, flash memory devices, universal serial bus (USB) drive, secure digital (SD) card, memory chip, or a combination thereof.

[0059] FIG. 3 shows the flow chart of the method for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data. The method comprises the steps of: performing an at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system and an at least one election activity (step 300); receiving voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine (step 301); adding timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data (step 302); determining if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable (step 303); if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assigning an accept data label to the received voting data or election data (step 304a); if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assigning a deny data label to the received voting data or election data (step 304b); processing the received voting data or the election data with the accept data label and the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label (step 305); allowing an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label (step 306); determining the result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position (step 307); and displaying the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof (step 308).

[0060] FIG. 4 shows the flow chart of the method for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data. The method comprises the steps of: performing an at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system and an at least one election activity (step 300); receiving voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine (step 301); adding timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data (step 302); determining if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable (step 303); if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assigning an accept data label to the received voting data or election data (step 304a); if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assigning a deny data label to the received voting data or election data (step 304b); processing the received voting data or the election data with the accept data label and the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label (step 305); allowing an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label (step 306); determining the result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position (step 307); allowing the auditing of the result data using a trail log of the voting data or the result data by using the at least one user interface (step 400); generating an at least one report based on the audited election data or result data preferably using an at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one report comprises a comprehensive information of the election data or result data such as the transmitted information during the election event (step 401); and displaying the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof (step 308).

[0061] In FIG. 4, two additional steps are added to the method for securely aggregating, consolidating, and canvassing voting data such as the steps of: allowing the auditing of the result data using a trail log of the voting data or the result data by using the at least one user interface (step 400); and generate an at least one report based on the audited election data or result data preferably using an at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one report comprises a comprehensive information of the election data or result data such as the transmitted information during the election event (step 401).

[0062] It is contemplated for embodiments described herein to extend to individual elements and concepts described herein, independently of other concepts, ideas or system, as well as for embodiments to include combinations of elements recited anywhere in this application. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. As such, many variations and modifications will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. Illustrative embodiments such as those depicted refer to a preferred form but are not limited to its constraints and are subject to modification and alternative forms. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents. Moreover, it is contemplated that a feature described either individually or as part of an embodiment may be combined with other individually described features, or parts of other embodiments, even if the other features and embodiments make no mention of the said feature. Hence, the absence of describing combinations should not preclude the inventor from claiming rights to such combinations.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A system (100) for secure aggregation and canvassing of voting data, comprising: an at least one processing unit (104) having a result aggregation component (208) configured to at least: perform at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system (100) and an at least one election activity; receive voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine (102); add timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determine if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assign an accept data label and if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assign a deny data label; process received voting data or the election data with the accept data label; allow an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determine result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and display the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof; an at least one user interface (105), connected to the processing unit (104), for allowing access and configuration to the said processing unit (104); an at least one data storage device (106) for storing the processed result data by the processing unit (104); and an at least one communications unit (107), connected to the processing unit (104), configured to at least send the processed result data to an at least one third-party device (109) and / or an at least one remote server (103).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing unit is further configured to allow the auditing of the result data using a trail log of the voting data or the result data by using the at least one user interface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing unit is further configured to generate an at least one report based on the audited election data or result data preferably using an at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one report comprises a comprehensive information of the election data or result data such as the transmitted information during the election event.

4. The method for secure aggregation and canvassing of voting data using an at least one processing unit having at least a result aggregation component (208), comprising the steps of: performing an at least one security protocol preferably an at least one cryptographic means to secure the system (100) and an at least one election activity; receiving voting data or election data from an at least one authorized source such as an at least one voting machine (102); adding timestamp data to each of the received voting data or election data; determining if the received voting data or election data is acceptable or unacceptable; if the received voting data or election data is acceptable, assigning an accept data label to the received voting data or election data; if the received result data or election data is unacceptable, assigning a deny data label to the received voting data or election data; processing the received voting data or the election data with the accept data label and the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label ; allowing an at least one election officer to manually check the received voting data or the election data with the deny data label; determining the result data from the processed voting data or election data by automatically aggregating the said voting data or election data to determine a winning candidate for a position; and displaying the determined result data or election data to an at least one display, an at least one dashboard, an at least one user interface, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of allowing the auditing of the result data using a trail log of the voting data or the result data by using the at least one user interface.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of generating an at least one report based on the audited election data or result data preferably using an at least one cryptographic means, wherein the at least one report comprises a comprehensive information of the election data or result data such as the transmitted information during the election event.

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