Cryptographic Voting Ballot Integrity via Blind Signing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic voting systems are vulnerable to various forms of manipulation and fraud, including voter manufacturing, signature verification tampering, adjudication system abuse, vote tabulation manipulation, repeat ballot rescanning, and ballot counterfeiting, due to reliance on human processes and insecure technology, which compromises the integrity of elections and voter privacy.
Innovation Solution
A cryptographically secured electronic voting process that employs blind signing of vote serial numbers, using a private signer function and hash-based error checking, along with QR codes and blockchain technology for secure tabulation, to ensure anonymity and integrity of votes, while minimizing human intervention and providing voter notification and verification mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional paper ballot systems are used with manual processing, then ease of operation is maintained, but security against fraud and manipulation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces cryptographic intermediaries (digital signatures, hash functions, and verification tokens) between the voter and the ballot system. These cryptographic elements act as mediators that provide mathematical proof of vote integrity without requiring complex human verification processes, thus improving reliability while managing complexity through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical verification processes (human inspection of ballots, manual counting, physical signature verification) with cryptographic algorithms and automated digital verification. This substitution eliminates human error and manipulation while maintaining operational simplicity through software-based validation.
2Reliability
If ballot serialization is implemented to prevent counterfeiting, then security against ballot counterfeiting improves, but ease of manufacture and system simplicity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cryptographic copying where a master ballot template is digitally replicated with unique cryptographic identifiers (serial numbers, QR codes) for each physical ballot. This allows mass production of secure ballots through digital printing and encoding, maintaining ease of manufacture while ensuring each ballot's authenticity through cryptographic verification.
3Reliability
If cryptographic verification is added to ballots, then security against fraud improves, but ease of operation by voters deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service verification where voters can independently verify their own ballots using provided cryptographic tokens and verification tools. The system provides voters with the means to check their own vote integrity without requiring assistance from election officials or complex interaction with verification systems, thus maintaining ease of operation while ensuring security.
4Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjudication processes are used for unreadable ballots, then flexibility in handling errors is maintained, but security against manipulation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements cryptographic feedback mechanisms where each ballot contains verification codes that provide immediate feedback on ballot validity. Adjudicators receive structured feedback from the cryptographic verification system about specific issues with ballots, enabling consistent and transparent error handling while preventing manipulation through objective cryptographic criteria rather than subjective human judgment.
Data Source
AI summary
A cryptographically secured voting process that includes applying a blinding process on a voting serial number during registration to hide the vote serial number from a registration authority so there is no way for the registration authority to associate the voting serial number with an identity credential of a voter. The voting process may include applying to a ballot an encrypted voting ticket identifier where the ballot has vote selections, y, and the encrypted voting ticket identifier is s′(x), where, x is a voting ticket id, and function s′( ) is private signer function of an election authority. The voting ticket identifier may be randomly generated. The voting process furthermore including: applying to the ballot an error check hash of the vote selections and the encrypted voting ticket identifier where the error check hash=h(y+s′(x)), where y+s′(x) is a concatenation of y and s′(x).