Electronic Voting System Using Digital Wallet and Biometric Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Voting during web conferences faces challenges in ensuring secrecy, anonymity, privacy, security, and correctness, particularly in ensuring only participants can vote and handling multiple issues within the conference.
Innovation Solution
An electronic voting system utilizing a user apparatus with a digital wallet, biometric authentication, and a digital camera, coupled with a method that involves receiving a digital identifier, generating cryptographical proofs, and transmitting them through a wireless communication interface to ensure secure and transparent voting processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional voting methods are used during web conferences, then voting can be conducted, but voting secrecy, anonymity, privacy, security and correctness cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a voting server as an intermediary between participants and the voting system. The server manages voting credentials, receives and processes votes, and ensures security protocols are followed. This intermediary handles the complex security requirements centrally, allowing participants to vote securely without each participant needing complex security infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses digital copies of voting credentials (digital identifiers, voting rights, ballots) instead of physical voting materials. These digital credentials can be securely transmitted, stored, and verified through cryptographic methods, ensuring voting security while maintaining simplicity for the end user. The digital nature allows for secure replication and distribution of voting materials.
2Reliability
If only participants present during voting time period are allowed to vote, then voting correctness is ensured, but it becomes difficult to verify participant identity and presence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual verification methods (physical presence checks, paper credentials) with electronic and cryptographic verification systems. Digital identifiers, biometric authentication, and cryptographic proofs automatically verify participant identity and eligibility, making the verification process more reliable and easier to implement than manual methods while ensuring only authorized participants can vote.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification of participant identity and voting eligibility before the actual voting process. Participants must be authenticated and receive their voting credentials in advance, ensuring that only verified participants can cast votes. This preliminary action prevents unauthorized voting and ensures correctness without requiring complex real-time verification during the voting process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple issues are voted on during a web conference, then voting versatility is improved, but it becomes harder to maintain voting secrecy and anonymity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voting process into separate, independent ballot issues. Each issue is treated as a distinct voting event with its own ballot, ensuring that votes on different issues remain separate and anonymous. The system can handle multiple issues sequentially or in parallel while maintaining the secrecy and anonymity of individual votes through cryptographic methods and separate ballot structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The voting server acts as an intermediary that manages multiple ballot issues while preserving voter anonymity. It processes votes for different issues separately, using cryptographic techniques to ensure that the server cannot link specific votes to specific voters. This allows versatile multi-issue voting while maintaining voting secrecy through the intermediary's secure handling of separated vote data.
Data Source
AI summary
A user apparatus, a method and software for an electronic voting during a web conference are presented. The method includes: receiving a digital identifier of a user into a digital wallet; receiving a digital voting right into the digital wallet in response to generating a cryptographical proof of the digital identifier and transmitting the cryptographical proof of the digital identifier; receiving a digital ballot into the digital wallet in response to generating a cryptographical proof of the digital voting right and transmitting the cryptographical proof of the digital voting right; machine-reading a digital voting place identifier from a machine-readable code during a web conference; and casting a vote by filling out the digital ballot, generating a cryptographical proof of the digital ballot and transmitting the cryptographical proof of the digital ballot, the digital ballot and the digital voting place identifier; wherein the digital wallet is used with a multi-factor authentication including an authentication of the user with the biometric authentication device, and wherein the digital identifier of the user, the digital voting right and the digital ballot are processed as verifiable credentials.