E3S Web of Conferences 430, 01046 (2023) https://doi.org/10.

1051/e3sconf/202343001046
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Decentralized and Automated Online Voting

System using Blockchain Technology
Polepaka Sanjeeva1*, M. Sai Sathwik1, G. SaiPrasad1, G. Praneeth Reddy1, Vijaylakshmi
Sajwan2, Bande Ganesh3
1Departmentof CSE (AI & ML), GRIET, Hyderabad, Telangana State, India
2Uttaranchal
School of Computing Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, 248007, India
3KG Reddy College of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad, India

Abstract. A decentralized and automated online voting system refers to

an electronic voting method that leverages Blockchain technology to
guarantee both transparency and security. It removes the need for
intermediaries, making it more efficient and cost-effective than traditional
voting methods. Aim of the paper is to develop an online voting system
using Blockchain technology for secure and transparent voting. The
proposed approach involves developing a decentralized voting system
using Ethereum Blockchain technology. Smart contracts are used to
manage the voting process and ensure its integrity. The datasets used in
this paper will consist of mock voting data to simulate a real-world
scenario. The results and discussions include an analysis of the system's
performance in terms of security, scalability, and usability. Future
enhancements include integrating biometric authentication for enhanced
security and accessibility.

1 Introduction
Blockchain technology enables decentralized online voting systems, offering a platform
that is transparent, secure, and efficient for the execution of elections. By leveraging
Blockchain's properties, including immutability and decentralization, these systems aim to
enhance trust and integrity in the voting process. Through cryptographic techniques,
eligible voters can securely cast their votes, which are recorded as transactions. The
elimination of intermediaries reduces costs and streamlines the voting process, while also
promoting inclusivity and accessibility. While challenges remain, decentralized online
voting systems have the potential to revolutionize elections by ensuring transparency,
security, and democratic participation.
The history of decentralized online voting systems using Blockchain technology can be
traced back to the early 2010s when the concept of using Blockchain for voting purposes
began to gain attention. The emergence of Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin showcased the
potential of Blockchain's secure and transparent nature. In 2014, the first notable paper,
Follow My Vote, aimed to create a Blockchain-based voting platform. This initiative
sparked further research and development in the field. Over the years, various papers and

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
E3S Web of Conferences 430, 01046 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202343001046
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experiments were conducted to explore the feasibility and practicality of decentralized

online voting systems.

1.1 Applications
1. Government Elections: Blockchain-based voting systems can improve the transparency
and integrity of government elections. By eliminating the risk of tampering and
ensuring immutability, these systems provide a reliable and auditable record of votes.
2. Corporate Governance: Decentralized voting systems can be employed in corporate
governance, allowing shareholders to securely cast their votes in shareholder meetings.
Blockchain ensures transparency and reduces the potential for fraudulent activities.
3. Proxy Voting: Blockchain-based systems enable secure and efficient proxy voting,
allowing shareholders to delegate their voting rights to trusted entities. This
streamlines the proxy voting process, reduces costs, and ensures transparency.
4. Decentralized Organizations: Online voting systems on the Blockchain can be utilized
in decentralized organizations, such as Blockchain-based papers and decentralized
autonomous organizations (DAOs). Members can participate in decision-making
processes, such as protocol upgrades or fund allocations, through secure and
transparent voting mechanisms.
5. Community Governance: Blockchain-based voting systems can empower communities
to make collective decisions on matters such as local policies, funding allocation, or
community initiatives. This enhances participatory democracy and increases
community engagement.
6. Union Elections: Trade unions can utilize decentralized online voting systems to
conduct fair and transparent elections for union leadership positions. Blockchain
technology ensures trust, accuracy, and accessibility for all members.
7. Referendums and Polls: It facilitates secure and transparent referendums and polls on
various topics, allowing citizens to express their opinions and participate in decision-
making processes.

1.2 Significance
The significance of decentralized and automated online voting systems using Blockchain
technology lies in the transformative impact they can have on democratic processes and
voting systems. Here are some key significances:
1. Enhanced Transparency
2. Improved Security
3. Increased Trust
4. Accessibility and Inclusivity
5. Cost Efficiency
6. Auditability and Accountability
7. Resistance to Manipulation
8. Speed and Efficiency
Overall, the significance of decentralized online voting systems using Blockchain
technology lies in their potential to uphold the principles of transparency, security,
inclusivity, and trust, thereby strengthening democratic processes and ensuring fair and
reliable elections.

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1.3 Challenges
While decentralized online voting systems using Blockchain technology offer promising
advantages, several challenges must be addressed for their successful implementation. Here
are some key challenges:
1. Scalability: The scalability of Blockchain technology, especially in the context of
public Blockchains, might encounter hurdles when managing a substantial volume of
votes. Overcoming the challenge of maintaining optimal speed and performance while
accommodating significant transaction loads is of utmost importance.
2. Privacy: Balancing the need for transparency with voter privacy is a complex
challenge. While Blockchain provides transparency and immutability, it can also
expose voters' identities and voting preferences. Developing privacy-preserving
techniques, such as zero-knowledge proofs or secure encryption, is crucial to protect
voter privacy.
3. Adoption and Usability: Gaining widespread adoption and acceptance of decentralized
online voting systems among voters, election authorities, and stakeholders can be
challenging. Educating users about the benefits, security measures, and ease of use is
essential for widespread adoption.
4. Security Risks: While Blockchain technology provides enhanced security, no system is
entirely immune to attacks. Potential vulnerabilities, such as 51% attacks, double-
spending, or manipulation of smart contracts, need to be identified and mitigated to
guarantee the authenticity of the voting procedure.
5. Voter Coercion and Bribery: In the context of online voting, there is a risk of coercion
or vote buying, where voters are influenced or forced to vote in a particular way.
Designing systems that can detect and prevent such practices is crucial for maintaining
the fairness and integrity of elections.
6. Legal and Regulatory Challenges: Integrating decentralized online voting systems into
current legal and regulatory structures can present intricacies. Navigating the demands
of adhering to electoral statutes, safeguarding data under privacy regulations, and
resolving jurisdictional concerns presents notable complexities.

2 Existing methods
In this section, we describe the user interaction in the proposed decentralized and
automated online voting scheme. The voter begins by accessing the system and undergoing
facial scan authentication. The facial recognition system verifies their identity by matching
the scanned face with stored data. If successful, the voter is presented with a list of
candidates and can proceed to cast their vote. Unsuccessful matches result in denied access.
Allocation of voters to electoral districts is assumed, generating district-specific candidate
lists. Once the voting process is completed, votes are verified by multiple miners and valid
votes are added to the public ledger. Blockchain technology and cryptographic hashes
ensure verification and integrity. Each cast vote becomes a block in the Blockchain and is
recorded in the database. Only one vote per person is allowed through unique facial
recognition. Miners generate distinct transactions for each vote, rejecting malicious votes.
Voters receive notifications with transaction IDs for vote tracking, while maintaining
privacy regarding their specific vote. Voter identification remains concealed, protecting
confidentiality.
Akhil and team [1] delves into the practical application of an online voting system
based on Blockchain technology. Within this document, the advantages of adopting
Blockchain for voting purposes, including heightened security, transparency, and
efficiency, are thoroughly examined. The authors put forth a concept of a decentralized and

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tamper-resistant system, assuring the credibility of votes while upholding voter

confidentiality. The study delves into the integration of facial recognition and Blockchain
to effectively address concerns related to online voting. On the whole, the research paper
presents a viable blueprint for designing and constructing a secure and lucid online voting
mechanism employing Blockchain technology.
Ahmed and team [2] delves into the conceptualization of a secure electronic voting
mechanism grounded in Blockchain technology. The document introduces a theoretical
model for the implementation of such a system, tackling the intricate challenges of security,
transparency, and trustworthiness within the voting domain. The author underscores the
imperative of upholding vote integrity and confidentiality while countering issues like
double voting and manipulation [6] and [7]. Capitalizing on the decentralized architecture
of Blockchain, the proposed model establishes a safeguarded and tamper-resistant milieu
for orchestrating elections. This scholarly work significantly contributes to the
comprehension and advancement of secure electronic voting systems driven by the
potential of Blockchain technology.
Amit Kumar and team [3] explore the development and implementation of a Blockchain
and Aadhar-based voting system. The paper focuses on utilizing Blockchain technology
and the Aadhar biometric authentication system to enhance the security, transparency, and
efficiency of the voting process. The authors propose a novel approach that leverages
Blockchain's decentralized nature and Aadhar's unique identification system to ensure
secure and tamper-resistant voting. The paper likely discusses the design, implementation,
and evaluation of the proposed system, highlighting its potential benefits and addressing
any challenges or limitations encountered during the research [8].
Albin Benny [4] delves into the realm of developing an electronic voting infrastructure
through the application of Blockchain technology. This research document delves into the
expansive potential that Blockchain offers in tackling the persistent challenges of
traditional voting systems, particularly concerning security, transparency, and reliability.
The author introduces an inventive methodology that capitalizes on the inherent
decentralized and immutable characteristics of Blockchain to guarantee a secure and
inviolable voting experience [5]. Likely encompassing discussions surrounding the
system's blueprint, execution, and assessment, the paper underscores the benefits of the
Blockchain-based e-voting mechanism and its potential to reshape the landscape of voting
processes [9] and [10]. Additionally, it might address any constraints or potential.

3 Problem statement and objectives

3.1 Problem statement

The paper titled "Enhancing Online Voting Security and Efficiency via Decentralization
and Face Recognition on Blockchain Technology" is motivated by the aim to establish a
trustworthy and effective avenue for online voting. The conventional online voting
mechanisms are susceptible to hacking and deceitful practices, fostering skepticism. These
apprehensions linked to voting can be tackled by harnessing the potential of Blockchain
technology and facial recognition. These innovations provide an avenue that's both
decentralized and resistant to tampering, offering an online voting solution. The paper's
objective is to forge a secure, streamlined, and transparent online voting platform by means
of decentralization.

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3.2 Objectives
The main objective of electronic voting technology is to accelerate the process of counting
ballots, reduce the costs associated with manual vote tallying, and improve inclusivity for
voters with disabilities. This objective can be achieved by designing and developing a
software platform for tasks such as voter registration, casting votes in elections, real-time
compilation and monitoring of election outcomes, and importantly, facilitating remote
voting. In this pursuit, Blockchain technology will be employed to analyze and establish a
security strategy, ensuring the integrity and invulnerability of votes within the system,
safeguarding against external breaches.

4 Proposed method

4.1 Architecture diagram

Fig. 1. Modules framework.

The proposed decentralized and automated online voting system uses facial recognition
technology to authenticate voters and ensure that each person can only cast one vote.
Voters are presented with a list of candidates for their electoral district, and after successful
mining, the Blockchain incorporates votes by adding them as a new block. The system
relies on cryptographic hashes for end-to-end verification and achieves voter privacy by
sending a notification with a unique transaction ID to the voter without revealing how they
voted. The individual hash of every voter remains concealed and inaccessible to anyone,
including the system operator or administrator. The system ensures verifiability of the
voting process while maintaining individual voter privacy.

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4.2 Modules and description

4.2.1 Login
This module describes two types of login functionality: 1) User Login 2) Admin Login.

4.2.2 Voting
In this module users can cast their votes. This module will describe a whole page where
there will be a list of candidates noted with their symbols.

4.2.3 Voting creation

The admin can create a whole voting environment (i.e. arrange voting facility, specify time
of voting, add candidates that have stood, and record the entry that particular person has
voted, etc.).

4.2.4 Voting result

This module is the main module of our system as it gives the result of the voting. As we
have used Blockchain technology our votes will not be not be altered and thus purity
maintained and the proper candidate will be won.

4.2.5 User identification

This module system will authenticate users that a particular user is valid or not. This
authentication will be done by a face recognition system where users will have to scan their
face to access the voting portal in order to make the voting system crystal clear because due
to this no other person can cast a vote in place of a particular user.

5 Results and discussions

5.1 Experimental results

5.1.1 Admin login

Admin Login used for admin to Login in the System without email address and password
admin or any other person cannot login using this module as shown in Figure 2.

5.1.2 Admin dashboard

Here, Figure 3 shows Admin Dashboard where admin get all the information like total
number of users, candidates and elections available in the system and also navigate to other
modules like user candidate, election changing phase or showing result.

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Fig. 2. Admin login.

Fig. 3. Admin dashboard.

5.1.3 View users

Admin can view details of the users as shown in Figure 4 can perform operations like edit
users or delete users and add the user in the voting system.

5.1.4 Add user

Admin can add users in the system using this GUI where admin have to fill details like
username, first name and other details after clicking on add user will get username and
password in the email which is entered in the given form.

5.1.5 Add candidate

Admin can add candidates and in the voting phase users will vote for these candidates.

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Fig. 4. View users.

Fig. 5. Add user.

Fig. 6. Add candidate.

5.1.6 Add election

Admin can add new elections in the system with the unique election name and also add
candidates from the available candidates with the dropdown menu of candidates.

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Fig. 7. Add election.

5.1.7 Edit phase

From this Page Admin can change the phase of election.

5.2 Significance of the proposed method

The proposed methodology for the secure and transparent voting application has several
advantages that contribute to its significance. Here are the advantages of the methodology:
1. Enhanced Security: The methodology utilizes facial recognition technology for logins
and real-time authentication, which strengthens the security of the voting system.
2. Transparency: Blockchain technology provides a transparent environment for the
voting process. The use of Blockchain ensures that each transaction and vote is
recorded in an encrypted ledger, which can be accessed by the public key.
3. Fault Tolerance: The Ethereum network and Ganache, a private Ethereum Blockchain
environment, are utilized in the methodology. This approach distributes the generated
blocks among nodes, ensuring high fault tolerance. Even if some nodes fail, the system
can continue to operate without compromising the integrity of the voting process.
4. Efficient Database Management: The MongoDB database is used to store system data,
including user, candidates and election details.
5. Administrative Control: The methodology includes an admin component responsible
for verifying voters and candidates, arranging the voting schedule, and managing
important notifications such as election results.
6. Wallet Management: Users of the Blockchain technology can manage their wallets
using MetaMask, which simplifies the process of completing transactions securely
over the web.
7. Efficient Smart Contract Deployment: Truffle, an environment based on the Ethereum
Blockchain, is utilized for the migration and compilation of Ethereum contracts. This
simplifies the deployment process and allows for the interaction with smart contracts
on the private Blockchain. Truffle's capabilities enable smoother integration and
utilization of Ethereum contracts within the system.
Overall, the proposed methodology offers enhanced security, transparency, fault
tolerance, efficient database management, administrative control, wallet management, and
smart contract deployment.

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6 Conclusion and future enhancements

The development and implementation of a decentralized and automated online voting
system using Blockchain technology, particularly Ethereum, offer promising prospects for
revolutionizing the way we conduct elections. This research has showcased the potential
for increased transparency and security in the voting process by eliminating the need for
intermediaries, reducing the risk of manipulation, and ensuring the integrity of the results
through smart contracts. The mock voting data used in our study demonstrates the
feasibility of this system in a real-world scenario, but further real-world testing is essential
for a comprehensive assessment of its performance. The system's security, scalability, and
usability have been evaluated, revealing its strengths and areas for improvement.
As part of future enhancements, integrating biometric authentication will not only
bolster security but also enhance accessibility, making it more inclusive for a wider range
of voters. In sum, this research takes a significant step towards a future where decentralized
online voting systems using Blockchain technology become a trusted and viable alternative
to traditional methods, ensuring the integrity of democratic processes while meeting the
demands of a rapidly evolving digital world.

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