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US 7,458,512 B2Granted
Computer-based method and apparatus for verifying an electronic voting process
AssigneeIPCom GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsThomas J. Colson, Peter J. Vanderheyden, Mark R. O'Donnell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention broadly comprises a computer-based method and system for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising the steps of generating an original digital fingerprint of an electronic record at a first time and transmitting the original digital fingerprint. The method generates a validation digital fingerprint of the electronic record at a second time later than the first time and compares the original and validation digital fingerprints. The method generates and compares digital fingerprints of voting software during certification and testing, during installation in a voting machine, while the machine is in government possession, and during active use in a voting period.
Claims38
A computer-based method for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising the steps of:
- generating an original digital authentication record of an electronic voting record at a first time, wherein a voter has cast a vote corresponding to said electronic record and the electronic voting record is in a Data Record Electronic (DRE) system internal storage media and includes the cast vote;
- transmitting said original digital authentication record to an entity;
- generating a validation digital authentication record of said electronic record at a second time later than said first time;
- comparing said original and validation digital authentication records;
- and,
- displaying said comparison, where said steps of generating an original record and transmitting are performed by a first at least one specially programmed general purpose computer and where said steps of generating a validation record, comparing, and displaying are performed by a second at least one specially programmed general purpose computer.
3 more elements
A computer-based method for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising the steps of:
- generating at least one pre-vote digital authentication record of voting software prior to a beginning of a specified voting period;
- generating at least one voting digital authentication record of said software up to a conclusion of said specified voting period;
- and,
- comparing said at least one pre-vote and voting digital authentication records to at least one comparison digital authentication record, where said step of generating at least one pre-vote digital authentication record is performed by a first at least one specially programmed general purpose computer and said steps of generating at least one voting digital authentication record and comparing are performed by a second at least one specially programmed general purpose computer.
1 more element
A computer-based system for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising:
- a first authentication record element operatively arranged to generate an original digital authentication record of an electronic voting record at a first time, wherein a voter has cast a vote corresponding to said electronic record and the electronic voting record is in a Data Record Electronic (DRE) system internal storage media and includes the cast vote;
- a transmission element operatively arranged to transmit said original digital authentication record to an entity;
- a second authentication record element operatively arranged to generate a validation digital authentication record of said electronic voting record at a second time later than said first time;
- and,
- a comparison element operatively arranged to compare said original and validation digital authentication records, where said first authentication record element and said transmission element are located in a first at least one specially programmed general purpose computer and where said second authentication record element and said comparison element are located in said second at least one specially programmed general purpose computer.
2 more elements
A computer-based system for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising:
- a first authentication record element operatively arranged to generate at least one voting digital authentication record of voting software up to a conclusion of a voting period;
- a second authentication record element operatively arranged to generate at least one pre-vote digital authentication record of said voting software prior to a beginning of a voting period;
- and,
- a comparison element operatively arranged to compare said at least one pre-vote and voting digital authentication records to at least one comparison digital authentication record, where said first authentication record element is located in a first at least one specially programmed computer and said second authentication record element and said comparison element are located in a second at least one specially programmed computer.
1 more element
A computer-based method for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising the steps of:
- generating an original digital authentication record of an electronic voting record at a first time, wherein a voter has cast a vote corresponding to said electronic record and the electronic voting record is in a Data Record Electronic (DRE) system internal storage media and includes the cast vote;
- transmitting said original digital alphanumeric identification to an entity,
- generating a validation digital alphanumeric identification of said electronic voting record at a second time later than said first time;
- and,
- comparing said original and validation digital alphanumeric identifications, where said steps of generating an original alphanumeric identification and transmitting are performed by a first at least one specially programmed general purpose computer, and where said steps of generating a validation alphanumeric identification and comparing are performed by a second at least one specially programmed general purpose computer.
2 more elements
A computer-based method for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising the steps of:
- generating at least one voting digital alphanumeric identification of voting software up to a conclusion of a specified voting period;
- and,
- comparing said at least one voting digital alphanumeric identification to at least one comparison digital alphanumeric identification of said voting software, where said step of generating is performed by a first at least one specially programmed general purpose computer and said step of comparing is performed by a second at least one specially programmed general purpose computer.
A computer-based system for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising:
- a first authentication record element operatively arranged to generate an original digital authentication record of an electronic voting record at a first time, wherein a voter has cast a vote corresponding to said electronic record and the electronic voting record is in a Data Record Electronic (DRE) system internal storage media and includes the cast vote;
- a transmission element operatively arranged to transmit said original digital authentication record to an entity;
- a second authentication record element operatively arranged to generate a validation digital authentication record of said electronic record at a second time later than said first time;
- and,
- a comparison element operatively arranged to compare said original and validation digital authentication records and to detect a difference between said original and validation digital authentication records, where said first authentication record element and said transmission element are located in a first at least one specially programmed general purpose computer and where said second authentication record element and said comparison element are located in a second at least one specially programmed general purpose computer.
2 more elements
A computer-based system for verifying an electronic voting process, comprising:
- an authentication record element operatively arranged to generate at least one voting digital authentication record of voting software up to a conclusion of a voting period;
- and,
- a comparison element operatively arranged to compare said at least one voting digital authentication record to at least one comparison digital authentication record of said voting software, where said authentication record element is located in a first at least one specially programmed computer and said comparison element is located in a second at least one specially programmed computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.