Election system enabling coercion-free remote voting

• US 7,490,768 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seliger, Frank, Van Acker, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): St. Cyr; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/174,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20060000905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 235/386, 235/435, 235/437, 235/50.B, 235/50.F, 235/50.R
• US Class Current: 235/386
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus

Abstract

Election system enabling coercion-free remote voting wherein a remote voter transmits his/her selected vote to the election authority through a data transmission network such as the Internet network by using a host computer having a card reader, the vote being transmitted after the voter has introduced an identifying smart card into the card reader. At least one secret code is recorded into the smart card at the location of the election authority at the moment when the latter delivers the smart card, the secret code having to be input by the voter into the host computer when the voter wants to vote during an election in order for the vote to be transmitted to the election authority and validated by the election authority.

Claims

1. A method for enabling coercion-free remote voting, comprising:

a voter providing a secret code;

generating a plurality of dummies in response to the secret code providing;

showing the plurality of dummies and the secret code to the voter in a sequentially numbered list, each of the plurality of dummies and the secret code associated with a number each of the sequentially numbered list;

providing a plurality of voting choices to the voter in a sequentially numbered list, each of the choices associated with a number each of the sequentially numbered list;

the voter voting for one of a plurality of voting choices and selecting one of the shown plurality of dummies and the secret code;

if the selecting comprises the voter selecting the secret code, entering the voter'"'"'s vote into an election system; and

if the selecting comprises the voter selecting one of the shown plurality of dummies;

selecting another of the plurality of voting choices as a function of a difference between the list number associated with the voter'"'"'s vote and the list number associated with the another voting choice, the difference equal to a difference between the list number associated with the secret code and the list number associated with the selected shown dummy, and entering the selected another voting choice as the voter'"'"'s vote into the election system;

or

nullifying the voter'"'"'s vote within the election system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting another of the plurality of voting choices and entering the selected another voting choice as the voter'"'"'s vote into the election system, or the nullifying the voter'"'"'s vote within the election system, further comprises entering a voter vote result into the election system different from a voting choice shown to the voter or to a coercer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the showing the plurality of dummies and the secret code to the voter further comprises allowing the voter to change at least one of the dummies to a specific displayed choice.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of dummies and the plurality of voting choices comprise a quantity of three or more.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

encrypting the voter'"'"'s vote, the selected another voting choice or a voter'"'"'s vote nullifying input by an encryption key defined for an election of the plurality of voting choices to generate an encrypted voting entry; and

sending the encrypted voting entry to an election authority.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating the encryption key by a sequential encryption by a group of trustees, each trustee encrypting a key received from a preceding trustee with his own key.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the election authority decrypting the encrypted voting entry by using the trustee sequential encryption keys in a reverse order from an order of application by the group of trustees.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the encryption by each one of said trustees is an addition modulo 10.