An Analysis of Chaum's Voter-Verifiable Election Scheme

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2005-05-03

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Abstract

Chaum's Voter-Verifiable election scheme introduces a new direction for electronic voting. The scheme eliminates the need to trust any machinery or authority, and instead relies on mathematical proof to certify the trustworthiness of an election. Audits at every stage of the election create transparency that should restore voter confidence in the election process. We survey and categorize the field of electronic voting, and place Chaum's scheme within this context. We then define a framework of formal requirements of a voting system. We present Chaum's scheme itself, and give an analysis. Based on our technical analysis, we find the scheme to be secure. However, after considering other implementation concerns, we recognize various minor obstacles limiting its widespread adoption in today's elections. Despite this, we believe that the substance of the scheme is promising and maybe an improved, simpler variant might better suit future elections.

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