Method and system for electronic voting over a high-security network

• US 7,819,319 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Traore, Jacques, Bonamour, Antoine, Vernay, Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US11/168,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20060000904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 235/51, 235/375, 235/386, 705/12, 434/306
• US Class Current: 235/386
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/42 Anonymization, e.g. involving pseudonyms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/466 Electronic auction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3257 using blind signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

A method and system for electronic voting over a network, from a terminal (Te) connected to an administrative server (SA) and to a vote-counting server (SCV). An authentication certificate (CA) and a single-use password (UPWe) are calculated and transmitted (A) from the server (SA) to the voter (Eu), an electronic ballot paper (EB) and an anonymous reference (AREu) are transmitted (B) from the terminal (Te) to the server (SCV) and, upon verification (B₁) of the anonymous reference, the vote and the paper are validated (B₃), the paper is counted, a confirmation of receipt (ACW) and an electoral register document (DVR) are transmitted from the server (SCV) to the terminal (Te). The terminal (Te) signs the register and transmits (C) the signed register (SDVR) to the server (SA) which closes (D₁) the vote of the voter (Eu).

Claims

1. A method for electronic voting over a high-security network, for a voter using a voting terminal connected via a network to at least one administrative server and to a vote-counting server, the method further comprising:

calculating and transmitting from the administrative server to the voting terminal an authentication certificate; and

transmitting from the voting terminal to the vote-counting server an electronic ballot paper selected by the voter and an anonymous reference; and

, upon verification of the anonymous reference against a true value of the anonymous reference at the vote counting server,

validating the electronic ballot paper and the electronic vote of the voter and counting the electronic ballot paper in accordance with the voter selected ballot paper;

transmitting from the vote-counting server to the voting terminal a confirmation of receipt; and

calculating and transmitting from the voting terminal to the administrative server an electoral register document signed electronically by a private key, the administrative server bringing about, upon verification of said signature against a true signature value of the signed electoral register document at the administrative server, the closure of the voting operation for the voter using the voting terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an operation which consists in transmitting an electronic electoral register document from said vote-counting server to said voting terminal.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising calculating and transmitting from the administrative server to said voter a single-use password, the transmission of said single-use password not being simultaneous with the transmission of said authentication certificate.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the operation which consists in calculating and transmitting an authentication certificate is carried out upon request for authorization to participate in the vote by the using voter from the voting terminal, the authorization request comprising at least personal identification data of the voter, the authentication certificate being calculated and transmitted upon verification with true value of the personal identification data by the administrative server.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the operations which consist in calculating and transmitting a single-use password dedicated to the voter are carried out conditionally upon verification with the true value of the personal identification data by the administrative server and following the transmission of the authentication certificate.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the operation which consists in calculating and transmitting a single-use password is carried out from a dedicated server independent from the administrative server and the vote-counting server, the dedicated server calculating one single-use password, and only one, associated with the voter.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the exchanges of messages between the administrative server, the vote-counting server and the dedicated server are carried out between each of them following a successful zero-knowledge authentication protocol.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of an authentication certificate and a single-use password dedicated to the voter is carried out by means of separate transmission channels.

9. A system for electronic voting over a high-security network for a voter using a voting terminal which is connected via a network to at least one administrative server and a vote-counting server, the system further comprising:

at the level of the administrative server,

means for calculating and transmitting from the administrative server to the voting terminal an authentication certificate;

means for receiving, from the voting terminal, an electoral register document electronically signed by a private key at the voting terminal, means for verifying the electronically signed electoral register document against a true signature value, the electronically signed electoral register document; and

means for closing the voting operation of the voter using the voter terminal upon verification of the signed electoral register document, and

at the level of the vote-counting server

means for receiving and processing a message which is transmitted from the voting terminal and which contains at least one electronic ballot paper selected by the voter and an anonymous reference;

means for verifying, with the true value, the anonymous reference received;

means for validating the electronic ballot paper and the electronic vote of the voter and means for counting the vote of the electronic ballot paper in accordance with the voter selected ballot paper;

means for calculating and transmitting to the voting terminal a message of confirmation of receipt.

10. A first administrative server for electronic voting over a high-security network, for a voter using a voting terminal, comprising:

means for calculating and transmitting to the voting terminal an authentication certificate;

means for receiving, from the voting terminal, an electoral register document electronically signed by means of a private key;

means for verifying against a true signature value at the first administrative server, the electronically signed electoral register document; and

means for closing the voting operation of the voter using the voting terminal upon verification with the voter selected value of the signed electoral register document,

means for forming a pair of authentication keys allocated to each voter using a voting terminal, said pair of authentication keys comprising;

a first authentication key produced by a second administrative server, a dedicated server independent from the first administrative server; and

a second authentication key produced by the first administrative server,

wherein the first administrative server producing a list of second authentication keys and transmitting to the second administrative server, data pairs formed by a voter identity value for a voter applying to vote, and by a hash value for the second authentication key associated with that voter.

11. The first administrative server according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for storing the list of mini-applications;

means for compiling the mini-applications and for signing the compiled mini-applications;

means for extracting and publishing the list of applicants for each voting district and each mini-application;

means for transmitting the signed mini-applications to the second administrative server, and to the voting terminal for each voter concerned,

wherein each applicant corresponds to a voter.

12. The first administrative server according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for storing public keys which allow the transmitted messages to be merged and encrypted, in particular electronic ballot papers, in order to ensure the confidentiality thereof, the public keys being transmitted with the mini-applications.

13. The first administrative server according to claim 10, wherein the first administrative server further comprising:

means for calculating a list of authentication certificates in order to authorize only the identified voters to participate in the vote; and

means for controlling a revocation list for the authentication certificates; and

means for transmitting to the voting terminal the authentication certificate associated with the identified applicant voter using the voting terminal.

14. The first administrative server according to claim 10, comprising means for controlling the electoral lists, in accordance with voting districts and the applicants for the ballot.

15. A second administrative server for electronic voting over a high-security network, for a voter using a voting terminal, the second administrative server being a dedicated server independent from a first administrative server and a vote-counting server, wherein the second administrative server comprises:

means for forming a pair of authentication keys allocated to each voter using a voting terminal, said means for forming said pair of authentication keys receiving

a first authentication key produced by the second administrative server; and

by

a second authentication key produced by the first administrative server,

wherein the second administrative server generates a list of first authentication keys and carrying out a pairing operation of a hash value of the second authentication key received from the first authentication server with the first authentication key produced by the second administrative server and calculates a hash value of the first authentication key and transmits a pair formed by the hash value of the first and second authentication key to the vote-counting server.

16. The second administrative server according to claim 15, further comprising means for calculating one single-use password, and only one, associated with the voter and for transmitting said single-use password to the voter.

17. The second administrative server according to claim 16, further comprising:

coding means which allow said single-use password to be protected by means of a code.

18. The second administrative server according to claim 15, further comprising at least:

means for storing data representing the list of ballots, the list of applicants for these ballots, connected to one or more voting districts;

means for calculating a group of mini-applications in the form of a list, a mini-application being associated with a voting district and containing the list of applicants and the encryption keys of the electronic ballot papers;

means for transmitting the mini-applications to the first administrative server.