nevv is a decentralized and distributed e-voting architecture based on verifiable Neff shuffles.
It is based on the ideas laid out in the Helios project [1, 2].

nevv is built on top of the cothority architecture developped by DEDIS at EFPL. It provides a framework to deploy distributed and decentralized systems and protocols. The cothority uses an alternative blockchain implementation called skipchain to store data [3].

The backbone of the system is a master skipchain storing general configurations. Each election is stored in a separate chain with the same sequence of blocks. The life cycle of an election is driven by three underlying protocols.

• DKG: Distributed key generation algorithm run upon creation of an election [4].
• Neff: After termination each node produces a shuffle of the ballots with a proof.
• Decrypt: Each node partially decrypts the ballots.

The system is accessible through protocol buffer message over websockets. See api.proto for a complete overview.

message Login{} // Register in the system
message Open{} // Create a new election
message Cast{} // Cast a ballot in an election
message Shuffle{} // Initiate the shuffle protocol
message Decrypt{} // Start the decryption protocol
message GetBox{} // Get encrypted ballots of an election
message GetMixes{} // Get all the created mixes
message GetPartials{} // Get all the partially decrypted ballots
message Reconstruct{} // Reconstruct plaintext from partials

git clone https://github.com/dedis/student_17_evoting

TODO

[1] Verifiable Mixing (Shuffling) of ElGamal Pairs; C. Andrew Neff, 2004
[2] Helios: Web-based Open-Audit Voting; Ben Adida, 2008
[3] Decentralizing authorities into scalable strongest-link cothorities: Ford et. al., 2015
[4] Secure distributed key generation for discrete-log based cryptosystems; Gennaro et. al., 1999