Blockchain-enabled Secured and Transparent E-Voting System using Smart Contracts

This paper introduces a blockchain-based electronic voting system that aims to improve the security, transparency, and efficiency of the voting process. Conventional voting systems are susceptible to security attacks, fraud, and lack of transparency, resulting in public distrust of the democratic voting process. Through the use of Ethereum blockchain technology and self-executing smart contracts, the system proposed here automates essential voting processes like voter registration, candidate management, and vote validation, guaranteeing decentralized, tamper-proof, and immutable operations. Two implementations are considered—one that is entirely based on blockchain for a totally decentralized election process and another combining blockchain with a local database for enhanced accessibility and efficiency. The system utilizes cryptographic hashing and digital signatures to safeguard voter authenticity, while the immutability of blockchain prevents vote alteration. The decentralized approach mitigates risks such as double voting and unauthorized access, ensuring voter verifiability and auditability of election results. It also facilitates voter verifiability, decreases operational expenses, and promotes confidence in the democratic process. Experimental deployment and testing, using Solidity for smart contract development and the Truffle framework for blockchain interactions, validate the system’s robustness. Gas cost analysis highlights the computational efficiency of various operations, demonstrating feasibility for large-scale elections. This research showcases blockchain's potential to transform e-voting by guaranteeing fair elections, providing a scalable and secure alternative to traditional electoral systems, reducing operational costs, boosting voter turnout, and minimizing fraud risks, opening the door to future developments in digital democracy.