Improving the security of elections at the university of Cordoba through a voting system based on Blockchain technology

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to improve the security, transparency and accessibility of the electoral process for an electronic voting system in the elections of student representatives at the University of Cordoba, through the implementation of Blockchain technologies. A methodological process was followed that included the following phases: analysis of the election regulations, the specification of necessary requirements, the exploration and selection of those tools necessary for the construction of the software using Vue.js, MySQL, and Blockchain technology based on Smart Contracts in the Ethereum network, and finally as the last phase, the electronic voting system was designed and developed. The work sought to demonstrate the reliability and usefulness of e-voting in a university context, overcoming the problems associated with traditional methods of electoral voting by reducing the risks of fraud or manipulation of results, thanks to Blockchain technologies. As a result, three crucial levels of security are highlighted to guarantee the integrity of the electoral process: an authentication through email validation, AES and bcrypt encryption in the database to protect sensitive data, and the implementation of Blockchain to ensure the immutability of votes, preserve voter privacy and provide transparency in the electoral process. These combined measures guarantee a high standard of security and confidentiality. Finally, as for the results regarding the tests, a digital survey was conducted to gather valuable information about the students' opinion regarding the experience and security about the electronic voting system.