Securing e-voting based on blockchain in P2P network

• Main Author: Haibo Yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2019-05-01
• Series: EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking
• Subjects: Electronic voting (e-voting); Blockchain; Secure voting; P2P network
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13638-019-1473-6

Abstract Electronic voting (e-voting) is an electronic means for casting and counting votes. It is an efficient and cost-effective way for conducting a voting procedure, which has characteristic of being magnanimous data and real time and requesting high safety. However, concerns on security of networking and privacy of communication for e-voting have been grown. Securing e-voting is very urgent and has becoming a popular topic in the area of communications and networking. We present techniques to exploit blockchain in P2P network to improve the security of e-voting. First, we design a synchronized model of voting records based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) to avoid forgery of votes. Second, we design a user credential model based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) to provide authentication and non-repudiation. Third, we design a withdrawal model that allows voters to change their vote before a preset deadline. By integrating the above designs, a blockchain-based e-voting scheme in P2P network is proposed for essential requirements of e-voting process. To prove and verify the scheme, a blockchain-based e-voting system for multiple candidates has been designed on Linux platforms in P2P network. The system involves electronic voting theory, cryptography, and software engineering theory. The implementation result shows that it is a practical and secure e-voting system, which solves the problem on forgery of votes during e-voting. The blockchain-based e-voting system can be applied to a variety of networking applications directly.