Blockchain Voting via Homomorphic Key Aggregation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing voting systems on blockchain face challenges such as dependency on central authorities, lack of privacy, and issues with multiple ballot submissions, which hinder secure and decentralized decision-making processes.

Innovation Solution

A method for making decisions on a blockchain that involves receiving selections from multiple participants, combining their public keys using homomorphic properties to generate decision-based public keys, and creating blockchain transactions that execute scripts representing the decisions, ensuring transparency and immutability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If traditional voting systems are used on blockchain, then decision-making can be automated, but dependency on central authorities and lack of privacy occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomated decision-makingVSAvoiddecentralization and privacy

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces homomorphic encryption as an intermediary mechanism that allows votes to be processed in encrypted form. The encryption scheme acts as a mediator between voters and the decision-making system, enabling automated processing while maintaining privacy and eliminating the need for central authorities to access plaintext votes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical voting systems (which require central authorities and plaintext processing) with a cryptographic system based on homomorphic encryption. This substitution enables automated decision-making through mathematical operations on encrypted data, thereby achieving both automation and decentralization simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Stability of the object's composition

If blockchain is used for voting, then transparency and immutability are achieved, but issues with multiple ballot submissions and verification complexity arise

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimmutability of recordsVSAvoidverification complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary actions by requiring voters to sign their votes with digital signatures before encryption. This preliminary signing process binds each vote to a specific voter identity in a verifiable way, preventing multiple ballot submissions while maintaining privacy. The verification complexity is reduced because the signing occurs once before encryption, rather than requiring complex verification of encrypted ballots.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms through the verification process, where the system provides cryptographic proofs that validate each encrypted vote without revealing its content. This feedback loop ensures that only valid, non-duplicated votes are counted, maintaining immutability while managing verification complexity through structured cryptographic validation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If public keys are combined to represent decisions, then privacy is maintained, but verification that decisions reflect selections becomes challenging

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprivacy preservationVSAvoidverification accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses feedback in the form of cryptographic proofs that allow verification of the relationship between individual votes and the aggregated decision. The verification process receives feedback from the mathematical structure of homomorphic encryption, which guarantees that the combined public key correctly represents the aggregation of individual encrypted selections without revealing those selections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter representation from plaintext votes to encrypted public keys. This parameter transformation maintains privacy while enabling verification through cryptographic relationships. The verification accuracy is preserved because the homomorphic properties ensure that mathematical operations on the encrypted parameters correctly reflect the underlying vote aggregation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12335363B2Computer-implemented decision making system and method

Publication Date: 2025.06.17 NCHAIN LICENSING AG

AI summary

A method for decision-making on a blockchain includes receiving first public keys from participants, where the first public keys are related to first private keys. The first public keys are combined to generate second public keys, where the second public keys are decisions based on selections among the participants. Third public keys, which correspond to the second public keys, are communicated to the participants. A voting blockchain transaction is generated, where an input script is executed by using a digital signature that corresponds to each participant's first private key, which corresponds to a participant's selection. Output of the voting transaction is a script that represents a decision based on the participants' selections. A payment blockchain transaction is generated, where execution of an output of the payment transaction requires a digital signature that corresponds to a third public key, which corresponds to the decision of the voting transaction.