BroncoVotes: Secure Voting System using Ethereum's Blockchain
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Gaby Dagher
Presentation Date
7-2017
Abstract
Voting is a fundamental part of democratic systems, it gives individuals in a community the faculty to voice their opinion. In recent years, voter turnout has diminished while concerns regarding integrity, security, and accessibility of current voting systems have elevated. E-voting was introduced to address some of those concerns; however, it is not cost-effective and still requires supervision by representatives of a central authority. Blockchain is an emerging, decentralized and distributed technology that promises to enhance the business model of many industries. Expanding e-voting into blockchain technology could be the solution to alleviate the present concerns in e-voting.
In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based voting system, named BroncoVotes, that preserves voter's privacy and accessibility, while keeping the voting system transparent, secure, and cost-effective. BroncoVotes implements a university-scaled voting framework that utilizes Ethereum's blockchain and smart contracts to achieve voter administration and auditable voting records. In addition, BroncoVotes utilizes several cryptographic techniques, including homomorphic encryption, to promote voter privacy. Our implementation is deployed on Ethereum's Testnet to demonstrate usability, scalability, and efficiency.
BroncoVotes: Secure Voting System using Ethereum's Blockchain
Voting is a fundamental part of democratic systems, it gives individuals in a community the faculty to voice their opinion. In recent years, voter turnout has diminished while concerns regarding integrity, security, and accessibility of current voting systems have elevated. E-voting was introduced to address some of those concerns; however, it is not cost-effective and still requires supervision by representatives of a central authority. Blockchain is an emerging, decentralized and distributed technology that promises to enhance the business model of many industries. Expanding e-voting into blockchain technology could be the solution to alleviate the present concerns in e-voting.
In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based voting system, named BroncoVotes, that preserves voter's privacy and accessibility, while keeping the voting system transparent, secure, and cost-effective. BroncoVotes implements a university-scaled voting framework that utilizes Ethereum's blockchain and smart contracts to achieve voter administration and auditable voting records. In addition, BroncoVotes utilizes several cryptographic techniques, including homomorphic encryption, to promote voter privacy. Our implementation is deployed on Ethereum's Testnet to demonstrate usability, scalability, and efficiency.