Distributed network voting system
View Patent ↗A secure election system provides a downloadable ballot viewer object for the casting of ballots. The ballot viewer object authenticates the user, permits user interaction in the casting of ballots, seals the cast ballot image by encryption, and transmits the cast ballot to election headquarters. The ballot viewer object may be used to perform secure voting on the Internet.
1. A method of voting through use of a distributed network, the method comprising the steps of:
creating a ballot viewer object that contains executable program instructions for authenticating a voter and electronic ballot information;
transporting the ballot viewer object from an election system including a server to a personal computer at a location remote from the server system through use of a network;
authenticating the voter through use of the executable program instructions for authenticating a voter by analysis of authentication information provided by the voter at the personal computer;
permitting the voter to create a cast vote record by interaction with the electronic ballot information; and
communicating the cast vote record to the server system for use in computation of election results;
wherein the step of permitting the voter to create a cast vote record comprises printing the electronic ballot information to provide a printed form, and
the step of communicating the cast vote record comprises mailing the printed from to an election authority for input to the election system; the step of authenticating the voter being performed in a self-sustaining mode that does not require interaction between the personal computer and the server after the step of transporting the ballot viewer object is complete.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of permitting the voter to create a cast vote record comprises manually interacting with the printed form to provide a cast vote record that can be read by an optical machine.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of permitting the voter to create a cast vote record comprises interacting with the electronic ballot information by electronic means to create the cast vote record prior to the step of printing to provide a cast vote record that can be read by an optical machine.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the electronic means further comprises program instructions on a bootable CD-ROM and the step of interacting comprises booting a computer through use of the bootable CD-ROM.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of permitting the voter to create a cast vote record comprises interacting with the electronic ballot information by electronic means to create the cast vote record and the step of communicating the cast vote record.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the electronic means further comprises program instructions on a bootable CD-ROM and the step of interacting comprises booting a computer through use of the bootable CD-ROM.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the server system comprises a linked system between a first server authorized under federal authority for the collection of election results and a local election office (LEO) server.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the step of authenticating comprises transmitting authentication information between the first server and the LEO server.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the server system further comprises a dedicated voting system.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of transporting includes using the Internet as the network.
11. A distributed network voting system, comprising:
an electronic ballot creation agent;
a server system;
means for transporting electronic ballot information created by the electronic ballot creation engine from a server system to a personal computer at a location remote from the server system through use of a network;
means for authenticating the voter through analysis of authentication information provided by the voter at the personal computer;
means for permitting the voter to create a cast vote record by interaction with the electronic ballot information at the personal computer; and
means for communicating the cast vote record to the server system for use in computation of election results,
wherein the means for permitting the voter to create a cast vote record comprises means for printing the electronic ballot information to provide a printed form, wherein
the means for authenticating the voter exists in a self-sustaining mode that does not require interaction between the personal computer and the server after the step of transporting the ballot viewer object is complete.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the means for permitting the voter to create a cast vote record comprises means for providing a cast vote record that can be read by an optical machine.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the means for providing comprises program instructions on a bootable CD-ROM.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the means for permitting the voter to create a cast vote record comprises means for electronically interacting with the electronic ballot information to create the cast vote record.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the server system comprises a linked system between a first server authorized under federal authority for the collection of election results and a local election office (LEO) server.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the means for authenticating comprises means for transmitting authentication information between the first server and the LEO server.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the server system further comprises a dedicated voting system.