Blockchain-based decentralized university-scale voting system

One fundamental component of democratic societies is fair and transparent election processes. The reliability of these processes is directly linked to the functioning of the voting system. A voting system encompasses rules and methods that determine how votes are cast and results are evaluated. Its applications range from simple decision-making to complex political processes. To improve the security, transparency, and accessibility of voting systems, various solutions have been developed utilizing digital innovations. However, these solutions have raised questions regarding their reliability, transparency, verifiability, and confidentiality, and have given rise to technical problems that are difficult to resolve. Therefore, this thesis aims to develop a sustainable and flexible solution by leveraging the innovative features offered by blockchain technology. Using the Ethereum blockchain platform, we theoretically and practically developed a decentralized, transparent, and secure voting system for university-scale applications. Our prototype was evaluated in terms of cost-effectiveness and performance metrics. A MetaMask-compatible wallet creation tool was also developed to enable users to define their identities within the system using public keys, private keys, mnemonic phrases, and Ethereum addresses. Ethereum addresses are used to identify users within the voting system without linking them to their real-life identities. Users can enter the voting system by importing their private keys into MetaMask. While a wallet-based solution provides some level of anonymity, it is not sufficient on its own. Therefore, mechanisms must be designed to prevent linking votes to user addresses. To achieve this, we employed the Paillier homomorphic encryption algorithm and zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) methods, specifically zk-SNARKs. The reason for choosing this approach was its low computational cost and fast verification process. The identity verification, voting, and result validation processes within our system are achieved through a combination of wallet creation tools, MetaMask, Paillier encryption algorithms, and ZKPs.