Source: https://dci.mit.edu/voting-on-the-blockchain
Source 2: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59aae5e9a803bb10bedeb03e/t/615c75f9eaae697e540f5c4f/1633449465655/VotingPaper-Rivest%2C+Narula%2C+Sunoo.pdf
Abstract:
In this paper the
main topic of discussion and analysis will be election security. It is
something which in the past six years has encapsulated the minds of the general
public, the news media, political officials, and party loyalists on both sides
on the integrity of elections held in the United States of America. Elections
in the past have been consistently contested from a legitimacy angle (i.e., the
2000 U.S. General Election that saw the higher courts potentially deciding the
victor between Bush v Gore) but in the past decade with the advent of advanced
technology many have called into question how secure elections are from
possible foreign interference, usage of unauthorized voters, voting
disenfranchisement, and technology failures that have been seen during pivotal
elections. For that reason, it has been
suggested that election officials and the government take the necessary steps
in using modern advances in technology to move elections “online” or deploy the
usage of “blockchain” to solidify security surrounding elections. To be fair,
election systems as they exist today are not perfect, far from it, but to
suggest that voting online or embracing blockchain as a driver for security
especially at a possible presidential level is not a great idea as it would
lead to increased undetectability of failures that may occur during an election
not only at a local level but at a national level as well. Putting aside the
subjectivity of the previous statement online voting does seem appealing as it
might be more convenient and accessible, but studies have been conducted that
show online voting has minimal impact on voter turnout and could possibly
increase voter disenfranchisement as well. Through implementing an online
mechanism for voting in an election with the added feature of a blockchain and
considering where we stand when it comes to computer/infrastructure security,
this could potentially lead to a loss in confidence in the accuracy of the
results which could provoke questions such as if the vote count is accurate or
whether any votes had been altered. This paper will analyze in detail on why
this proposal in changing the way we do elections is being suggested, the
historical background election security, consider past research into the
integrity in using electronic/online voting mechanisms, why those vulnerabilities
not only can be used against blockchain systems while also potentially make
things worse
