Detecting compromised ballots
OwnerC. Neffinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A facility for transmitting a ballot choice selected by a voter is described. The facility encrypts the ballot choice with a first secret known only to the client to generate a first encrypted ballot component. The facility also encrypts the ballot choice with a second secret known only to the client, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, to generate a second encrypted ballot component. The facility then generates a proof demonstrating that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encrypted from the same ballot choice. The facility sends the first and second encrypted ballot components and the proof to a vote collection computer system.
Claims16
-26. (canceled)
A method in a computing system for delivering a ballot choice selected by a voter, comprising:
- in a client computer system:
- encrypting the ballot choice with a first secret known only to the client to generate a first encrypted ballot component;
- encrypting the ballot choice with a second secret known only to the client, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, to generate a second encrypted ballot component;
- generating a proof demonstrating that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encrypted from the same ballot choice;
- and
- sending the first and second ballot components and the proof to a vote collection computer system;
- in the vote collection computer system:
- determining whether the proof demonstrates that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encrypted from the same ballot choice;
- and
- only if the proof demonstrates that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encrypted from the same ballot choice, accepting the ballot choice.
A method in a computing system for transmitting a ballot choice selected by a voter, comprising:
- encrypting the ballot choice with a first secret known only to the client to generate a first encrypted ballot component;
- encrypting the ballot choice with a second secret known only to the client, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, to generate a second encrypted ballot component;
- generating a proof demonstrating that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encryptions of the same ballot choice;
- and
- sending the first and second encrypted ballot components and the proof to a vote collection computer system.
A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to submit a ballot choice selected by a voter by:
- encrypting the ballot choice with a first secret known only to the client to generate a first encrypted ballot component;
- encrypting the ballot choice with a second secret known only to the client, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, to generate a second encrypted ballot component;
- generating a proof demonstrating that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encryptions of the same ballot choice;
- and
- sending the first and second ballot components and the proof to a vote collection computer system.
One or more generated data signals together conveying an encrypted ballot data structure, comprising:
- a first encrypted ballot choice encrypted with a first secret known only to a client computer system to generate a first encrypted ballot component,
- a second encrypted ballot choice encrypted with a second secret known only to the client computer system, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, and
- a proof;
- and
- such that the ballot represented by the encrypted ballot data structure may be counted only where the proof demonstrates that the first and second encrypted ballot choices are encryptions of the same ballot choice.
A method in a computing system for receiving a ballot choice selected by a voter, comprising:
- receiving from a client computer system:
- a first encrypted ballot choice encrypted with a first secret known only to the client to generate a first encrypted ballot component,
- a second encrypted ballot choice encrypted with a second secret known only to the client, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, and
- a proof;
- and
- only where the proof demonstrates that the first and second encrypted ballot choices are encryptions of the same ballot choice, accepting the ballot choice.
A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to receive a ballot choice selected by a voter by:
- receiving from a client computer system:
- a first encrypted ballot choice encrypted with a first secret known only to the client to generate a first encrypted ballot component,
- a second encrypted ballot choice encrypted with a second secret known only to the client, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, and
- a proof;
- and
- only where the proof demonstrates that the first and second encrypted ballot choices are encryptions of the same ballot choice, accepting the ballot choice.
A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for delivering a ballot choice selected by a voter, the method comprising:
- in a client computer system:
- encrypting the ballot choice with a first secret known only to the client to generate a first encrypted ballot component;
- encrypting the ballot choice with a second secret known only to the client, the second secret chosen independently of the first secret, to generate a second encrypted ballot component;
- generating a proof demonstrating that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encrypted from the same ballot choice;
- and
- sending the first and second ballot components and the proof to a vote collection computer system;
- in the vote collection computer system:
- determining whether the proof demonstrates that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encrypted from the same ballot choice;
- and
- only if the proof demonstrates that the first and second encrypted ballot components are encrypted from the same ballot choice, accepting the ballot choice.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.