Blockchain Voting System with Hash Segmentation for Fraud Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern democracies face a challenge in ensuring vote security and anonymity simultaneously, as anonymous voting systems make it difficult to detect fraudulent ballots while public records are needed to build trust in elections.
Innovation Solution
A voting system utilizing blockchain technology to create an immutable and verifiable record of votes, where each vote is hashed and appended to a blockchain, ensuring transparency and security while maintaining voter anonymity through unique hash values printed on receipts and paper ballots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a public record of voters and their choices is maintained to prevent voter fraud, then vote security is improved, but voter anonymity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the voter record into two separate components: a public blockchain containing only hash values and vote tallies, and a private voter database containing identifiable information. This segmentation allows the public to verify vote security through the immutable blockchain while the private database maintains voter anonymity by storing only non-identifiable hash values.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hash value as an intermediary between the voter's identifiable information and the public record. The hash function creates a unique digital fingerprint that links the voter's choice to the blockchain record without revealing any identifying information. This intermediary allows verification of vote inclusion while preserving anonymity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If anonymous voting is implemented to protect voters, then voter anonymity is improved, but detection of fraudulent ballots becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the verifiable element from the voter record by taking only the hash value and vote choice, separating these from the voter's identifiable information. The extracted hash value is placed on the public blockchain where it can be verified for authenticity and fraud detection, while the identifiable information remains private and cannot be used to track individual voters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses cryptographic hashing to transform the voter record into a different 'form' or state - a hash value that appears random and contains no identifying information. This transformation allows the record to be publicly verified (the color change from identifiable to unidentifiable) while maintaining the ability to detect fraud through the immutable blockchain.
3Reliability
If blockchain technology is used to create an immutable vote record, then vote security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a simplified copy of the voter record on the blockchain, using only essential data (hash values and vote tallies) rather than complete voter information. This copying approach reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed and stored on the blockchain, thereby reducing computational complexity while still providing sufficient verification capability for security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary elements for verification from the complete voter record and places them on the blockchain. By taking out only the hash values and vote choices rather than all voter data, the system achieves immutability and security while minimizing the complexity of data handling and processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A voting system comprising at least one voting machine comprising: at least one voting machine processor. The voting machine processor performing voting machine operations comprising: initializing a vote blockchain with a vote blockchain genesis block. The vote blockchain genesis block comprising a voting machine identifier and a voting machine identifier hash value; storing the vote blockchain in at least one voting machine memory; iteratively, for a plurality of voters: receiving a signal indicating at least one vote made by a voter; creating a data structure comprising the at least one vote and a hash value of a preceding block; determining a new block hash value of the data structure; appending a new block comprising the data structure and the new block hash value to the vote blockchain; and storing the vote blockchain in the at least one voting machine memory.