Gaining assurance in a voter-verifiable voting system

The literature on e-voting systems has many examples of discussion of the correctness of the computer and communication algorithms of such systems, as well as discussions of their vulnerabilities. However, a gap in the literature concerns the practical need (before adoption of a specific e-voting system) for a complete case demonstrating that the system as a whole has sufficiently high probability of exhibiting the desired properties when in use in an actual election. This paper discusses the problem of producing such a case, with reference to a specific system: a version of the Prêt à Voter scheme for voter-verifiable e-voting. We show a possible organisation of a case in terms of four main requirements – accuracy, privacy, termination and ‘trustedness’– and show some of the detailed organisation that such a case should have, the diverse kinds of evidence that needs to be gathered and some of the interesting difficulties that arise

Accuracy: The fundamental requirement for voting systems

There have been several attempts to develop a comprehensive account of the requirements for voting systems, particularly for public elections. Typically, these approaches identify a number of "high level" principals which are then refined either into more detailed statements or more formal constructs. Unfortunately, these approaches do not acknowledge the complexity and diversity of the contexts in which voting takes place. This paper takes a different approach by arguing that the only requirement for a voting system is that it is accurate. More detailed requirements can then be derived from this high level requirement for the particular context in which the system is implemented and deployed. A general, formal high level model for voting systems and their context is proposed. Several related definitions of accuracy for voting systems are then developed, illustrating how the term "accuracy" is in interpreted in different contexts. Finally, a context based requirement for voting system privacy is investigated as an example of deriving a subsidiary requirement from the high level requirement for accuracy

Towards a trusted e-election in Kuwait : Requirements and principles

Kuwait is a democratic country that has used paper ballots for its parliament elections for many years. Although many people are content with the paper ballot, a survey shows that it has drawbacks, which have made some people lose confidence in the system and would prefer a replacement electronic system. However, the survey also shows that voters are cautious about electronic voting and are not ready for a full internet-enabled system. The aim of this paper is to propose a step-by-step approach for introducing electronic voting system and to define a set of requirements that an e-voting system, which is planned to be used instead of paper-based voting system in Kuwait, should satisfy

TOWARDS A TRUSTED E-ELECTION IN KUWAIT : REQUIREMENTS AND PRINCIPLES

Abstract Kuwait is a democratic country that has used paper ballots for its parliament elections for many years. Although many people are content with the paper ballot, a survey shows that it has drawbacks, which have made some people lose confidence in the system and would prefer a replacement electronic system. However, the survey also shows that voters are cautious about electronic voting and are not ready for a full internet-enabled system. The aim of this paper is to propose a step-by-step approach for introducing electronic voting system and to define a set of requirements that an e-voting system, which is planned to be used instead of paper-based voting system in Kuwait, should satisfy

MEMPERLUAS PERSPEKTIF KUALITAS PEMILIHAN UMUM: STUDI KASUS PRAKTIK SEMI-E-VOTING DALAM PEMILIHAN KEPALA DESA 2019 DI KABUPATEN MALANG

Parameter dominan dalam menilai kualitas pemilu di Indonesia selama ini merujuk pada keberhasilan substantif, yaitu kesetaraan, kebebasan, kejujuran, partisipasi, kompetisi, dan integritas. Namun, keberhasilan menurut sudut pandang pemilih dan Panitia Pemungutan Suara (PPS) masih terabaikan, seperti kepuasan pemilih dan jaminan pemilu damai. Studi kasus kualitatif ini bertujuan mengeksplorasi pandangan pemilih dan panitia atas praktik semipemilihan elektronik (semi-e-voting) melalui penerapan Aplikasi Barcode Scanner pada Pemilihan Kepala Desa (Pilkades) 2019 di Kecamatan Poncokusumo, Kabupaten Malang. Hasilnya, pemilih dan panitia menilai kualitas pemilu tidak cukup bersandar pada ukuran kualitas substantif. Untuk itu, studi ini mendorong perspektif pelayanan publik atas pemilu. Pertama, pemilih dan panitia selayaknya dipandang sebagai penerima manfaat dan penyedia. Kedua, sisi pandang ini menawarkan ukuran waktu menyalurkan hak pilih, kelayakan beban dan kemudahan kerja panitia, dan kepuasan kandidat (fairness). Ketiga, praktik semi-e-voting memperkenalkan ukuran perubahan dalam penyelenggaraan pemungutan suara, yaitu berupa proses pemungutan suara yang lancar dan tanpa antrian yang lama saat pemilih menunaikan haknya. Secara akademis, praktik semi-e-voting dalam pilkades relevan dengan beberapa indikator pengukuran keberhasilan pemilu, yakni kepuasan administratif dan profesionalisme penyelenggara pemilu. Spesifik terhadap literatur e-voting, riset ini memperkuat studi sebelumnya bahwa implementasi semi pemilihan elektronik mampu meningkatkan kenyamanan dan kapabilitas pemilih serta mengeliminasi subjektifitas penghitungan suara.

Evaluation and Improvement of Internet Voting Schemes Based on Legally-Founded Security Requirements

In recent years, several nations and private associations have introduced Internet voting as additional means to conduct elections. To date, a variety of voting schemes to conduct Internet-based elections have been constructed, both from the scientific community and industry. Because of its fundamental importance to democratic societies, Internet voting – as any other voting method – is bound to high legal standards, particularly imposing security requirements on the voting method. However, these legal standards, and resultant derived security requirements, partially oppose each other. As a consequence, Internet voting schemes cannot enforce these legally-founded security requirements to their full extent, but rather build upon specific assumptions. The criticality of these assumptions depends on the target election setting, particularly the adversary expected within that setting. Given the lack of an election-specific evaluation framework for these assumptions, or more generally Internet voting schemes, the adequacy of Internet voting schemes for specific elections cannot readily be determined. Hence, selecting the Internet voting scheme that satisfies legally-founded security requirements within a specific election setting in the most appropriate manner, is a challenging task. To support election officials in the selection process, the first goal of this dissertation is the construction of a evaluation framework for Internet voting schemes based on legally-founded security requirements. Therefore, on the foundation of previous interdisciplinary research, legally-founded security requirements for Internet voting schemes are derived. To provide election officials with improved decision alternatives, the second goal of this dissertation is the improvement of two established Internet voting schemes with regard to legally-founded security requirements, namely the Polyas Internet voting scheme and the Estonian Internet voting scheme. Our research results in five (partially opposing) security requirements for Internet voting schemes. On the basis of these security requirements, we construct a capability-based risk assessment approach for the security evaluation of Internet voting schemes in specific election settings. The evaluation of the Polyas scheme reveals the fact that compromised voting devices can alter votes undetectably. Considering surrounding circumstances, we eliminate this shortcoming by incorporating out of band codes to acknowledge voters’ votes. It turns out that in the Estonian scheme, four out of five security requirements rely on the correct behaviour of voting devices. We improve the Estonian scheme in that regard by incorporating out of band voting and acknowledgment codes. Thereby, we maintain four out of five security requirements against adversaries capable of compromising voting devices

Towards internet voting in the state of Qatar

Qatar is a small country in the Middle East which has used its oil wealth to invest in the country's infrastructure and education. The technology for Internet voting now exists or can be developed, but are the people of Qatar willing to take part in Internet voting for national elections?. This research identifies the willingness of government and citizens to introduce and participate in Internet voting (I-voting) in Qatar and the barriers that may be encountered when doing so. A secure I voting model for the Qatar government is then proposed that address issues of I-voting which might arise due to the introduction of such new technology. Recommendations are made for the Qatar government to assist in the introduction of I-voting. The research identifies the feasibility of I-voting and the government s readiness and willingness to introduce it. Multiple factors are examined: the voting experience, educational development, telecommunication development, the large number of Internet users, Qatar law which does not bar the use of I-voting and Qatar culture which supports I-voting introduction. It is shown that there is a willingness amongst both the people and the government to introduce I-voting, and there is appropriate accessibility, availability of IT infrastructure, availability of Internet law to protect online consumers and the existence of the e government project. However, many Qataris have concerns of security, privacy, usability, transparency and other issues that would need to be addressed before any voting system could be considered to be a quality system in the eyes of the voters. Also, the need to consider the security threat associated on client-side machines is identified where a lack of user awareness on information security is an important factor. The proposed model attempts to satisfy voting principles, introducing a secure platform for I-voting using best practices and solutions such as the smart card, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates. The model was reviewed by a number of experts on Information Technology, and the Qatari culture and law who found that the system would, generally, satisfy voting principles, but pointed out the need to consider the scalability of the model, the possible cyber-attacks and the risks associated with voters computers. which could be reduced by enhancing user awareness on security and using secure operating systems or Internet browsers. From these findings, a set of recommendations were proposed to encourage the government to introduce I-voting which consider different aspects of I-voting, including the digital divide, e-literacy, I voting infrastructure, legal aspects, transparency, security and privacy. These recommendations were also reviewed by experts who found them to be both valuable and effective. Since literature on Internet voting in Qatar is sparse, empirical and non-empirical studies were carried out in a variety of surveys, interviews and experiments. The research successfully achieved its aim and objectives and is now being considered by the Qatari Government