Microsoft has launched a prototype of a software that makes voting more secure, verifiable, and reliable. It allows reliable audits by registering ballots in encrypted form. The main aim of registering the ballots in encrypted form is to track all the votes accurately and independently after they are cast.
Out of the top three US election vendors, two of the vendors have shown their interest in incorporating the open-source software into their voting system. The software is being developed with Galois under the contract with the Pentagon’s advanced research agency, DARPA. Microsoft has also announced that the prototype of the software is ready to Pilot for next year’s U.S. general elections.
How does this prototype work?
The hardware includes a surface tablet, an everyday printer, and an Xbox Adaptive Controller to make the voting more accessible. After you have cast your ballot using either Surface or the controller, Election Guard uses the encryption to count the vote while keeping the data encrypted. Not only this much, but the prototype also offers a tracking code that voters can enter on the website to verify that their vote was counted and was not changed.
The main purpose of this prototype is to provide a software kit that would help to update and modernize all of the election infrastructures everywhere in the world.
