Cryptographic systems and methods, including practical high certainty intent verification, such as for encrypted votes in an electronic election
First Claim
1. An automated method for permitting a voter to vote in an election, the method comprising:
- providing to the voter an electronic ballot, wherein the electronic ballot includes at least two ballot choices;
receiving from the voter a selected ballot choice;
automatically generating a verifiable choice associated with the selected ballot choice, wherein the verifiable choice represents a matrix having at least a two dimensional array of positions, wherein the matrix includes at least two rows or columns along one axis associated with the at least two ballot choices, and a predetermined number of columns or rows in a transverse axis, and wherein each of the positions in the two dimensional array of positions is associated with a secret value hidden from the voter;
printing at least one pledge associated with the selected ballot choice;
prompting the voter to select at least one of the predetermined number of columns or rows associated with the transverse axis;
receiving from the voter a selected one of the predetermined number of columns or rows associated with the transverse axis;
revealing to the voter at least one value in the matrix associated with at least one position corresponding to the selected ballot choice along the one axis and the selected one of the predetermined number of columns or rows associated with the transverse axis, wherein the revealed value is associated with the selected ballot choice and is related to the printed pledge to verify to the voter that the verifiable choice is associated with the selected ballot choice; and
, providing the verifiable choice for tally in the election.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and associated systems provide proof of a ballot cast in an election or of user choices under a data structure. The method includes, for example, casting a ballot representing a voter'"'"'s intended choice associated with a cast ballot, and creating a private, paper receipt that represents the voter'"'"'s intended choice associated with the cast ballot. The private, paper receipt includes human-readable information to permit the voter to publicly verify that the cast ballot has been included in a ballot tabulation process, and wherein only the voter can discern from the human-readable information on the private, paper receipt what the voter'"'"'s intended choice was, with respect to the cast ballot.
74 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An automated method for permitting a voter to vote in an election, the method comprising:
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providing to the voter an electronic ballot, wherein the electronic ballot includes at least two ballot choices;
receiving from the voter a selected ballot choice;
automatically generating a verifiable choice associated with the selected ballot choice, wherein the verifiable choice represents a matrix having at least a two dimensional array of positions, wherein the matrix includes at least two rows or columns along one axis associated with the at least two ballot choices, and a predetermined number of columns or rows in a transverse axis, and wherein each of the positions in the two dimensional array of positions is associated with a secret value hidden from the voter;
printing at least one pledge associated with the selected ballot choice;
prompting the voter to select at least one of the predetermined number of columns or rows associated with the transverse axis;
receiving from the voter a selected one of the predetermined number of columns or rows associated with the transverse axis;
revealing to the voter at least one value in the matrix associated with at least one position corresponding to the selected ballot choice along the one axis and the selected one of the predetermined number of columns or rows associated with the transverse axis, wherein the revealed value is associated with the selected ballot choice and is related to the printed pledge to verify to the voter that the verifiable choice is associated with the selected ballot choice; and
,providing the verifiable choice for tally in the election. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause at least one data processing device to perform a method to provide proof of a ballot cast in an electronic election, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication corresponding to casting of an electronic ballot to represent an intended choice associated with the cast ballot;
generating a private, paper receipt that represents the intended choice associated with the cast ballot; and
wherein the private, paper receipt includes human-readable information to permit public verification that the cast ballot has been included in a ballot tabulation process, and wherein an ability to discern what the intended choice was with respect to the cast ballot from the human-readable information on the private, paper receipt is restricted. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for providing electronic voting, comprising:
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display means for displaying instructions, information, and ballot choices to a voter;
printer means for producing a voting receipt to the voter; and
voting device means, including user input means, for receiving input from the voter to select at least one of the ballot choices, and wherein the voting device means includes;
means for generating an electronic ballot commitment based on the received ballot choice;
means for producing a pledge commitment based at least in part on the electronic ballot;
means for receiving a challenge from the voter and providing response information; and
means for recording or transmitting an encrypted ballot that at least includes the received ballot choice, and wherein the printer means produces the voting receipt based on the received ballot choice and provides information to the voter regarding the received ballot choice without providing public information regarding the received ballot choice. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for use in electronic voting, the apparatus comprising:
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a display device for displaying ballot choices to a voter;
a receipt generator for producing a voting receipt to the voter based on the voter'"'"'s selection of at least one of the ballot choices;
a voting device having a user input portion to receive the voter'"'"'s selection of the ballot choices, wherein the voting device is configured to create an encrypted electronic ballot based on the voter selected ballot choices; and
a one-way communication channel coupled among the receipt generator and the voting device, wherein the one-way communication channel at least selectively permits the voting device to provide information to the receipt generator to permit the receipt generator to produce the voting receipt for the voter. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A machine-readable medium storing a data structure, wherein the data structure is configured for encoding user selected choices associated with the data structure, the data structure comprising:
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first and second code words, wherein the first code word corresponds to a user-selected choice and the second code word corresponds to at least one choice not selected by the user;
an encryption function for encrypting the first and second code words;
a partial reveal function for both generating encrypted data for output, and for generating an output parameter regarding the encrypted first and second code words and the user-selected choice; and
,a relationship operation between the first and second code words and the partial reveal function, wherein the relationship operation is capable of being automatically implemented, and wherein the relationship operation permits a receipt to be generated for the user that represents to the user the user-selected choice, but which does not provide to others information regarding the user-selected choice. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. A method for providing proof of a ballot cast in an election, the method comprising:
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casting a ballot representing a voter'"'"'s intended choice associated with a cast ballot;
creating a private, paper receipt that represents the voter'"'"'s intended choice associated with the cast ballot; and
wherein the private, paper receipt includes human-readable information to permit the voter to publicly verify that the cast ballot has been included in a ballot tabulation process, and wherein only the voter can discern from the human-readable information on the private, paper receipt what the voter'"'"'s intended choice was, with respect to the cast ballot. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. An electronic voting method, comprising:
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establishing election parameters, including generating by multiple election authorities secret dictionaries based on ballot sequence numbers, and publishing a digitally signed collection of secret dictionaries;
at a voting device, committing a representation of at least one of the secret dictionaries to a voter, receiving a voter'"'"'s input, and providing a signed copy of the at least one dictionary to the voter; and
tabulating published ballots, and publishing a verification code produced by at least some of the election authorities.
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Specification