Secure Online Voting System Framework

Objective: To establish a system where citizens can vote from home using an internet-connected device, verified through their Social Security Number (SSN), to increase voter turnout by enhancing accessibility while maintaining the integrity, security, and anonymity of the electoral process.

Safety, Security, and Simplicity Measures:

  1. Verification of Identity:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication: Utilize SSN along with additional factors like biometric verification (e.g., facial recognition), a second form of ID (like driver’s license number), or a one-time code sent to a registered phone or email.

  • National Database Integration: Link the voting system to existing government databases (e.g., SSA, DMV) for real-time verification of identity and eligibility. This ensures only eligible voters can cast a ballot.

  1. Vote Secrecy:
  • Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs): Use cryptographic methods like ZKPs to allow voters to verify their vote was counted as intended without revealing their choice, maintaining the secrecy of the vote while allowing for verification.

  • End-to-End Encryption: Encrypt votes from the voter’s device to the election server, ensuring that only the voter knows how they voted.

  1. System Security:
  • Blockchain Technology: Implement blockchain for an immutable record of votes, where each vote is a transaction on the chain. This technology can be used for transparency and auditability, not for vote recording due to privacy concerns.

  • Regular Security Audits: Conduct audits by independent cybersecurity firms to identify and patch vulnerabilities before and after elections.

  • Physical and Digital Security: Ensure the voting software and servers are in physically secure environments with restricted access, and all digital connections are secure.

  1. Preventing Misuse:
  • Single Use Voting Token: Issue a unique token for each election cycle to each voter, which expires after use or after the election concludes, preventing multiple votes.

  • Time-Limited Voting Window: Restrict voting to specific times to limit the window for potential cyber-attacks and ensure timely vote processing.

  • Vote Buying/Coercion Safeguards: Implement systems where voters can change their vote multiple times up until the deadline, making it harder to sell or coerce votes since only the last vote counts.

  1. Voter Education and Support:
  • User-Friendly Interface: Design the voting platform to be intuitive, accessible for individuals with disabilities, and available in multiple languages.

  • 24/7 Support: Provide technical support during the voting period to assist voters with issues.

  1. Auditability and Verification:
  • Real-Time Vote Tallying: Allow for real-time vote counts, but encrypt vote details to prevent premature disclosure of results.

  • Voter Verifiable Records: Each voter receives a receipt or confirmation that their vote was recorded correctly without revealing their choice.

  1. Protection Against External Influence:
  • Network Security: Use secure, encrypted connections (HTTPS/SSL) and protect against DDoS attacks with robust server infrastructure.

  • Legislation and Oversight: Enact laws prohibiting interference in elections, with severe penalties. Establish an independent election security commission to oversee and certify voting systems.

  1. Pilot Testing:
  • Trial Runs: Conduct small-scale trials in less critical elections to test the system under real conditions, refine based on feedback, and ensure security protocols are effective.

Implementation:

  • Phased Rollout: Start with local or non-binding elections to observe the system’s performance before scaling up to national or high-stake elections.

  • Legislative Approval: Secure bipartisan support and pass laws that outline the use of such systems, including legal frameworks for security, privacy, and voter rights.

Challenges and Considerations:

  • Balancing security with accessibility means some level of risk is inherent, but these measures aim to minimize it.

  • The system must be designed to withstand legal scrutiny, ensuring it complies with voting rights legislation.

  • Continuous public education on the security of the system to maintain trust.

This proposal outlines a theoretical framework for an online voting system that prioritizes security, privacy, and accessibility. Actual implementation would require significant technological development, legislative support, and public trust-building efforts.

No online voting.

People need to show up in person to vote.

I personally dont have any assurance that my vote is being handled or counted properly behind closed doors. How do we trust election integrity when anyone can be paid and any machine can be hacked to flip results?

Block chains are secure. And transparent. Bit coin has never been hacked. We need something like that.

Agree regarding not knowing if the vote is being counted correctly. Some States do give receipts but not all. I’m not sure how we would know 100 percent under any system including something online. I don’t trust any online voting. Anything can be hacked with the measure of difficulty being the security measure. I get what you are saying. How would that work for voting? You couldn’t have one group or entity control half or more of the power. And how would voters use it so that their invididual vote would not be compromised? It appears that individuals using cryptocurrency have been hacked while the main system has not. There is also concern for your information to be public or sold to someone beyond what may currently be done. That could lead to political discrimination. I don’t trust any online voting. Just because something cannot be hacked now doesn’t mean that people are not working on finding a way to hack it. How do you know that the actual person who should be voting is the person voting if they are not showing up in person?

Multi factor authentication. You use your social security and a drivers license as multi factor authentication and you’re the only one able to access the portal through that and security questions established by the user.

Maybe the account can be set at the DMVs so there’s a government employee in charge of registering you. Then after that you can access the secure online voting system just like you would the DMV portal to update your cars registration or voter registration.

I am not a fan of internet voting or online voting.
Voting should be in person unless someone has a legitimate health condition which prevents their physical ability to do so but they maintain their mental faculty.
For conversation sake about the topic those would be the issues to resolve.
I don’t know enough about crimes with individuals ID online. So I think the topic needs input from people who have data on that type of criminal activity.
I think social security numbers are not very well protected these days since so many entities ask for the last four digits and there are groups that collect drivers license information. Multi factor ID is better than single. But I don’t know if it is enough without knowing enough about the types of crimes people can commit that would make this vulnerable.

It seems like it could be a vulnerability to not physically see someone standing in front of other people to vote. But like you, I also have a concern regarding knowing how my vote was counted. There should be some receipt or perhaps the online system more for checking how your vote was registered. That said it still creates a vulnerability for people to know how we voted. We saw over the past four years how someone’s political party can be weaponized against them. But I guess those in power likely have access to this data already.