ElectionBlock: An Electronic Voting System using Blockchain and Fingerprint Authentication

Voting is the method of choice used to make a large number of democratic decisions amongst many groups of people. Regardless of whether the method is used in professional or casual scenarios, it provides a fair and efficient way to determine a decision based on the majority. In smaller groups, keeping track of voter decisions is not a difficult task, however, in situations where there are hundreds of thousands of voters, keeping a precise record of voter decisions becomes important and more difficult. The advancements in blockchain technology provide a potential solution to the record-keeping problem of contemporary voting procedures, as blockchain technology by design, excels in applications where multiple users are working on immutable data. In this paper we discuss the design and development of ElectionBlock, a voting system that provides its own blockchain, running on a centralized network of nodes, with the integration of a biometric scanner, to maintain vote integrity and distinguish between registered and unregistered voters. This scheme allows data immutability while providing the user with security and control over their ballot. Experimental results demonstrate the potential for scalability of the system to handle a high volume of votes from multiple servers while maintaining data integrity, performance, and security. This paper will address the considerations taken to develop and implement the centralized and independent blockchain network for use as a voting platform with the integration of biometrics for the purpose of enhanced user security.