E-Voting,

a technical perspective

Sasmita khandual
Branch- I.T
Regd.no - 0521223017
 E – Voting Means

“A term used to describe any of several means of determining people's

collective intent electronically”.

Any of several means

Internet
Voting By Kiosk
Telephone
Punch Card
Optical Scan Ballot (Mark-Sense)
 Scenarios
 Various kinds of e-Voting

polling station kiosk systems unattended remote

voting (e.g Internet)

Unattended remote voting promises a convenient way of voting from abroad,

we however face a number of security challenges
 Requirements in E-Voting

Eligibility
Authentication
Uniqueness
Anonymity
Accuracy
Verifiability
Audit Ability
Secrecy
Minimum skill required for voter
Minimal requirement of equipment
Minimum Time required for vote
Recount Facility
Voting Technology

1857
Plain Paper Ballot 1892
Lever Machine
Postal
1960s
Punch Card
1970s
Optical Scanning
Telephone
1978
Electronic Machine Voting(Direct Recording Electronic)
2000
Remote Electronic Voting (Online Voting)
Plain Paper Ballot

Invented By
Australian paper ballot system - A
Great Innovation
Problem
Counting & Re-Counting Problem
(Hand Counting)
Problem with Disabled People
Solution
Let Machine To Count the Vote

Australian ballot (U.S., 1888) SOURCE: DOUGLAS W. JONES

Punch Card
Types of Punch Card
Votomatic
Contains a hole beside
the number of the
choice
Datavote
Contains a hole beside
the name of the
candidate of their
choice
+ Points
Automatic Counting
Recount Facility
- Points
Recount rarely produce same count

The problems with punch-card ballots became well known after the state of
Florida’s 2000 US Presidential Election.
Electronic Machine Voting (Direct Recording Electronic) - 1

“It is an Electronic Equivalent of a Mechanical-Lever Machine”

Use of a touch-screen, push buttons, or similar device
An alphabetic keyboard is often provided with the entry device to allow
for the possibility of write-in votes
The voter’s choices are stored in these machines via a memory cartridge,
diskette or smart card

Feature Provided By DRE

Accessibility & Prevention of Voter Mistake
Provide Audio interface for visually impaired
Preventing Over-Vote and Warning Under-Vote
Avoid cost related with securing and producing paper ballots
Electronic Machine Voting (Direct Recording Electronic ) - 3

SOURCE: SHOUP VOTING SOLUTIONS

 Internet Voting (I-Voting)

• Registration
• Voting

• counting

"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who

count the votes decide everything." Josef Stalin
 Voting Interfaces

Election Integrity -> Recorded Vote Accurately reflect voter’s intent

Case 1: “Butterfly Ballot Design”
Voter mistakenly record their intent.
Need : Design User friendly interface with the Voting Machine as well as
satisfying the above requirement  Complex Interface
Problem with Complex Interface
 Ballot Review of ballot design is difficult
 Required Extra Step
 Assistance for Elder People
 Difficulty with the interface was correlated with age and education.
Vote Recording
How voter can verify the vote? It is recorded Properly or not………..
Solution : Mercuri Method – Voter Verifiability Ballots

Source: Safevote Inc.

 IEEE Voting Equipment Standard (1583)

Provide technical specifications for electronic, mechanical, and

human factors that can be used by manufacturers of voting machines
or by those purchasing such machines.
- Approved on June 14, 2001
- Develop an evaluation standard for election voting equipment that
test the
· Accessibility
· Accuracy
· Confidentiality
· Reliability
· Security
· Usability
Conclusions
 Voters’ trust comes from
combination of the mechanisms and
procedures we used to record and
tally votes

@
 Use of the E-Voting also based on
the perception of the people….

 Result of the Election also based on

the ballot design.

 Voter Verifiability is used to increase

the trust of voter.
Q&A