[001] The present invention relates to electronic voting system, and more specifically relates to a secure electoral system and method that combines and utilizes biometrics, cryptography and blockchain to provide transparency to the public regarding the voting process and prevents tampering of casted votes during or after an election process.
B. Description of related art [002] v The growth of the Internet has fuelled a technological revolution around the world, but that revolution has largely left untouched the election or polling process. Even though, holding fair election is both costly and time-consuming for voters and government alike; election is essential for representative democracy. During electoral process, once votes enter the "black box", citizens have no choice but to trust the election officials to handle their ballots with due solemnity and discretion. Serious issues facedN by election committees around the world include, inadequacy in user authentication, tackling violence during the election, laborious process of counting of votes, potential tampering of voting machines, etc. These challenges require a lot of effort for smooth running of election process. Despite the efforts taken to prevent such fraudulent activities by successive governments, votes are still being rigged, and polling booths being captured during the election/polling process. This not only defeats the very purpose of a democracy, but also casts serious aspersion on government's will to handle this as well diminishes confidence of citizens in the system. Further, the elaborate managing of

polling stations, logistics, and manpower, invariably adds more complexity to the election , problem in terms of cost, effort and time.
[003] An existing prior art, US. Pat. App. No. 15/298,177 of Ernest et al. discloses a block-chain electronic election system. The block-chain electronic election system comprises of an election admin client configured to administer an election, a voting client configured to electronically provide data for voter eligibility and voter decisions for one or more contestants in the election, a voter identifier server configured to confirm or deny voter eligibility for submitting the voter decisions in the election, a registrar server configured to employ an automated process for disassociating personal identification information provided by the voter client from a public voter key, a blinded token for use in a voter registration process, and a block chain database configured to store election contest data and the voter decisions on the election contests, the voter decisions are cryptographically signed with the public voter key disassociated from the personal identification information provided by the voter client.
[004] Further, in another prior art, US. Pat. App. No. 15/210,795 of Lohe et al. discloses a social aggregating, fractionally efficient transfer guidance, conditional triggered transaction, data structures, apparatuses, methods and systems ("SOCOACT"). SOCOACT transforms smart contract request, crypto currency deposit request, crypto collateral deposit request, crypto currency transfer request, crypto collateral transfer request inputs via SOCOACT components into transaction confirmation outputs. An aggregated crypto second-party transaction trigger entry that specifies at least one associated aggregated blockchain oracle may be instantiated. A first encrypted a token

may be obtained from a first associated aggregated blockchain oracle. A second encrypted token may be obtained from a second associated aggregated blockchain oracle. It may be determined that an instantiated aggregated crypto second-party transaction trigger entry unlock event occurred, and unlocking the instantiated aggregated crypto second-party transaction trigger entry and providing the first encrypted token to a second party and providing the second encrypted token to a first party may be facilitated.
[005] A publication titled "Vote Chain: Secure Democratic Voting" of Christopher et al. discloses an online electoral system using the blockchain algorithm. The system contains four primary components -Voter, application server, Verifier and Ballot Regulator. Each component has a private/public key pair that is used throughout several steps in the voting process. The Voter runs a secure mobile or web application that communicates with the voting application server. The Verifier's job is to assess the identity of each voter, and validate them against existing external government/voter registration databases. The Ballot Regulator is a system running a node on the blockchain, and is responsible for: ensuring voters have been validated by the Verifier; Voters receive the correct ballot; and submitting the completed ballot to the blockchain.
[006] Another publication, "Blockchain voting: The End to End Process" of Follow My Vote Inc. discloses an end-to-end verifiable online voting software using blockchain voting system to vote in an election. Using the blockchain voting system, the voter would download and install the voting booth on the personal device of their choice, i.e. desktop computer, laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet. From there, the voter would submit the appropriate identity information in order to have their identity verified by an Identity

Verifier, which would be approved by the organization hosting the election ahead of time. Once their identity is verified, the voter would be able to request their ballot, at which point they are issued their correct ballot type by the registrar.
[007] While known online voting technology can provide a solution to these problems, still public confidence in online voting is generally low due to the possibility of internet fraud perpetrated via techniques such as "phishing".
[008] Therefore, the need for a system and method to prevent tampering of votes casted by the voter during or after the election process. Further the proposed system, should be able to provide means to authenticate voters before casting vote. In addition, such system should provide means to dissociate voter's personal information (i.e., restricting access to voter's personal information by any other participants) from ballot after casting the vote. And, the system should also provide a means that allow voter to audit their votes and verify election result independently while maintaining anonymity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [009] The present invention discloses a blockchain and biometric based electoral system and method. The system utilizes biometric, cryptography and blockchain technology to provide transparency to the citizens regarding the voting process and prevents tampering of casted votes during or after the election process. Further, the system is configured to allow voter to audit their votes and verify election results independently while maintaining anonymity.

/"
[0010] In an embodiment, the blockchain and biometric based secured electoral system receives and processes inputs from (a) plurality of candidates, (b) the election commission, (c) plurality of voters and provide results with increased transparency. In one embodiment, the blockchain and biometric based secured electoral system is a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices (e.g. electronic voting machines, smart-phones, laptops, desktops, etc.) connected with each other in a distributed peer-to-peer network and software application incorporated on said electronic hardware devices, configured for the electoral process. The blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system is explained in the foregoing description.
[0011] In one embodiment, the blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system comprises, an election application system, an authentication and eligibility check system, and a ballot-blockchain. Jn one embodiment, the election application system comprises a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices. The election application system is configured to receive biometric information from the voter-client-application and candidate-client-application. Further, the software applications incorporated on these electronic hardware devices is configured to provide a user interface to voters, candidates, election commission officers and other stake holders for performing tasks to participate in the electoral process.
[0012] In one embodiment, the authentication and eligibility check system comprise, a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices and software applications running on these electronic hardware devices. The authentication and eligibility check system are configured to receive biometric information as an input from the election

application system, and perform the task of voter authentication and eligibility into existing voters/citizens databases for the electoral process.
[0013] In one embodiment, the ballot-blockchain comprises a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices and software applications incorporated on these electronic hardware devices. The ballot-blockchain is configured to store result or voter decision, candidate/contestant information into the blockchain in the electoral process.
[0014] The election application system comprises a voter client application, a candidate client application, and an election application server. In one embodiment, the voter client application is incorporated on the voting machine or voter electronic hardware device, like mobile devices, laptops, desktops, tablets, electronic voting machines, etc. The voter client application is configured to provide graphical user interface, which is used for (a) receiving biometric information from the voter, (b) displaying candidate/contestant information according to the voter's pin/zip code area, and (c) for casting vote.
[0015] In one. embodiment, the candidate client application is incorporated on the returning officer's. official electronic device. The candidate client application is configured to provide graphical user interface, which is used for receiving biometric information and all other necessary information from the candidates participating in the election at the time of registration or nomination of a candidate.
[0016] In one embodiment, the election application server is a specialized sofhyare application, configured to receive input from the voter client application and candidate client application, and communicate to the authentication and eligibility check system. In

one embodiment, the election application server is further configured to receive response from the authentication and eligibility check system and display it on the voter client application and candidate client application. In one embodiment, the election application server is further configured to publish candidate/contestant information into the ballot-blockchain. In another embodiment, the election application server is further configured to display a list of candidates, after receiving from the ballot-blockchain. In one embodiment, the election application server is further configured to receive voter's decision as an input from the voter-client-application and submit the voter decision into the ballot-blockchain.
In one embodiment, the authentication and eligibility check system comprise a voter authentication server, a voter eligibility server, an existing citizen/voter database, and an auth blockchain. In one embodiment, the voter authentication server is a specialized software application, configured to receive request from the election application server (voter biometric information and hash of the provided biometric information). The voter authentication server performs a query into the auth blockchain, for example, to check if voter has already casted vote or not. Further, the voter authentication server performs a query into the existing citizen/voter database, and sends response to the election application server.
In one embodiment, the voter eligibility server is a specialized software application, configured to receive request from the election application server (voter biometric information). The voter eligibility server is configured to receive voter information from the existing citizen/voter database. The voter eligibility server further performs eligibility

check on the received information, and send response to the election application server. In one embodiment, the existing citizen/voter database is a database, comprising information related to the existing citizen/voter, for example, name, date of birth, address, etc., attached with the voter biometric information, for example, finger prints, iris scan, facial recognition information, etc. In one embodiment, the auth blockchain is a blockchain based database, which comprises hash of the biometric information of the voters who have casted their votes and candidates who have filed their nominations with all necessary information for authentication.
[0017] The present invention also discloses a method for vote casting process using blockchain and biometric based electronic election system. At one step, the voters provide biometric information using the voter client application. At another step, election application server authenticates and checks voter eligibility using provided biometric information with the help of voter authentication server and voter eligibility server to generate a private key, a public key and a public address (a digital code) for the voter. At another step, election application server displays the list of participating candidates in voter pin code area after fetching information from the ballot-blockchain database. Candidate's public address is attached with the candidate's information (e.g. election-symbol, name, etc). At another step, voter uses earlier provided biometric information to select the candidate of his/her choice. Using voter client application, voter places his/her biometric information on the election-symbol of the candidate/ on the image of the candidate/ on the name of the candidate/ on the biometric sensor besides the selected candidate. At another step, the voter private key generated with the voter biometric
information used to digitally sign the voter choice of preference, and using the voter
8
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public address, a transaction is initiated towards the candidate's public address. At another step, after verification, the transaction is included into the ballot-blockchain. At a final step, the voter gets (e.g. in form of SMS, EMAIL, printed folio or text message) hash of the transaction and public address generated with a biometrically generated private key.
[0018] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating specific embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0019] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which;
[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram for implementing electoral process by the system in accordance with various embodiments.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system implemented in accordance with various embodiments.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of election application system in the blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system.
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[0023] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the authentication and eligibility check system in the blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram of proposed blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system in accordance with various embodiments.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram of proposedi blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system with respect to the voter, in accordance with various embodiments.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram of proposed blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system with respect to the candidate, in accordance with various embodiments.
[0027] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for vote casting process using the proposed system, in accordance with various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [0028] A description of embodiments of the present invention will now be given with reference to the Figures. It is expected that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
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*
[0029] "Voters" are defined as citizen of a country who want to participate in the electoral process. "Candidates" are defined as citizen of that country who want to participate in the election as nominated (by their respective political parties) candidates. "Election Commission" is defined as a body responsible for overseeing the implementation of electoral process. "Returning officer" is defined as a person selected by election commission responsible for the conduct of elections in the parliamentary or assembly constituency. "Result" is defined as an outcome of the electoral process. Above mentioned terminologies are generic and refers to specific functions conducted by each stake-holder, and therefore includes all such equivalent terms or phrases prevalent in various/all countries.
[0030] The proposed invention discloses a blockchain and biometric based secure electoral process, where votes are cast using an electronic device configured with biometric sensor attached to personal computers, smart phones, or electronic voting machines and stored in the blockchain. The proposed system eliminates the risk of vote being rejected, rigged or coerced and provides a way for a voter to secure his/her identity during election and post-election. The system is designed to function with various types of bio-metric devices like, but not limited to, fingerprint, iris, voice, face, etc.
[0031] The present invention discloses a blockchain and biometric based electoral system and method. The system utilizes biometric, cryptography and blockchain technology to provide transparency to the public regarding the voting process and prevents tampering of casted votes during or after the election process. Further, the system is configured to allow voter to audit their votes and verify election result independently while maintaining
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/
anonymity. Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram 100 for implementing electoral process by the system in accordance with various embodiments, is disclosed. In an embodiment, the blockchain and biometric based secured electoral system 106 input with a plurality of candidates 110, couples the election commission 102, a plurality of voter 104 and provides result 108 for implementation of electoral process with increased transparency.
[0032] In one embodiment, the blockchain and biometric based secured electoral system 106 is a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices connected with each other in a distributed peer-to-peer network and software application incorporated on said electronic hardware devices, configured for the electoral process. The blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system 106 is further explained in the foregoing description.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram 200 of the blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system implemented in accordance with various embodiments is disclosed. In one embodiment, the blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system 106 comprises, an election application system 202, an authentication and eligibility check system 204, and a ballot-blockchain 206. In one embodiment, the election application system 202 comprises a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices and software running on these hardware devices. The election application system 202 is configured to receive biometric information from the voters/candidates. The system 202 is configured to couple and function with one or more biometric devices such as, fingerprint recognition, face recognition, iris recognition, voice recognition, or signature recognition biometric devices. Further, the software
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applications incorporated on these electronic hardware device is configured to provide graphical user interface to the voters/candidates/election commission officers for performing tasks to participate in the electoral process.
[0034] In one embodiment, the authentication and eligibility check system 204 comprises, a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices and software applications running on these electronic hardware devices. The authentication and eligibility check system 204 is configured to receive biometric information as an input from the election application system, and perform the task of voter authentication and eligibility into the existing voter/citizen databases for the electoral process.
[0035] In one embodiment, the ballot-blockchain 206 comprises a combination of specialized electronic hardware devices and software applications incorporated on these electronic hardware devices. The ballot-blockchain 206 is configured to store result or voter decision, candidate/contestant information into the blockchain in the electoral process.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 3, a block diagram 300 illustrating an overview of election application system 202 in the blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system 106, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, is illustrated. The election application system 202 comprises a voter client application 302, a candidate client application 304, and an election application server 306. In one embodiment, the voter client application 302 is incorporated on the voting machine or voter electronic hardware device. The voter client application 302 is configured to provide graphical user interface, which is used for
13 HI 15- 12 - 2817 17 - 49-

receiving biometric information from the voter, displaying candidate/contestant information according to the voter pin code area, and for casting vote.
[0037] In one embodiment, the candidate client application 304 is incorporated on the returning officer's official electronic device. The candidate client application 304 is configured to provide graphical user interface, which is used for receiving biometric information and all other necessary information from the candidates participating in the election.
[0038] In one embodiment, the election application server 306 is a specialized software application, configured to receive input from the voter client application 302 and candidate client application 304, and communicate to the authentication and eligibility check system 204. In one embodiment, the election application server 306 is further configured to receive response from the authentication and eligibility check system and display it on the voter client application 302 and candidate client application 304. In one embodiment, the election application server 306 is further configured to publish candidate/contestant information into the ballot-blockchain 206. In another embodiment, the election application server 306 is further configured to display a list of candidates, after receiving from the ballot-blockchain 206. In one embodiment, the election application server 306 is further configured to receive voter decision as an input and submit the voter decision into the ballot-blockchain 206.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram 400 illustrating an overview of the
authentication and eligibility check system 204 in the blockchain and biometric based
secure electoral system 106, with reference to FIG. 3, is illustrated. In one embodiment,
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the authentication and eligibility check system 204 comprises a voter authentication server 402, a voter eligibility server 404, an1 existing citizen/voter database 406, and an auth blockchain 408. In one embodiment, the voter authentication server 402 is a specialized software application, configured to receive request from the election application server 306 (voter/candidate biometric information and hash of the provided biometric information). The voter authentication server 402 performs a query into the auth blockchain 408, for example, to check if voter has already casted vote or not and also performs query into auth blockchain 408 checking for whether a candidate has already filed his nomination and whether he/she is submitting a nomination based on his/her domicile/zip or as per the rules/constitution of that country. Further, the voter authentication server 402 performs a query into the existing citizen/voter database 406, and send response to the election application server 306.
[0040] In one embodiment, the voter eligibility server 404 is a specialized software application, configured to receive request from the election application server 306 (voter/candidate biometric information). The voter eligibility server 404 is configured to receive voter/candidate information from the existing citizen/voter database 406. The voter eligibility server 404 further performs eligibility check on the received information, and send response to the-election application server 306.
[0041] In one embodiment, the existing citizen/voter database 406 is a database, comprises information related to the existing citizen/voter, for example, name, date of birth, address, etc., attached with the voter/candidate biometric information, for example, finger prints, iris scan, facial recognition information, etc. In one embodiment, the auth
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blockchain 408 is a blockchain based database, which comprises hash of the biometric information of the voters who have casted their votes and candidates who have already filed nominations with the count of nominations or as per the defined laws laid down by the constitution/government of that country.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 5, a process flow diagram. 500 of proposed blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system, with reference to FIG. 1 - FIG. 4, is illustrated and the same is further explained in the foregoing description.
[0043] At step 501, the election commission 102 announces election with all eligibility criteria for the voters 104 and participating contestants/candidates 110. The election commission 102 is authorized/permitted to configure voter authentication server 402, voter eligibility server 404 and election application server 306 according to the defined eligibility criteria of the voters 104 and participating contestants/candidates 110 or as defined by the constitution laid down by that nation/country^ Further, the election commission 102 could also oversee the fare implementation of electoral process.
[0044] At step 502, the contestants/candidates 110 participating in the election file their nomination, and provides necessary information along with their biometric information using the graphical user interface of the candidate client application 304. The candidate client application 304 is incorporated on the returning officer's official electronic device provided by the election commission 102.
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[0045] At step 503, the candidate client application 304 send biometric information of the candidate 110 to the election application server 306. The election application server 306 computes hash for the provided biometric information.
[0046] At step 504, the election application server 306 initiate a request on the voter authentication server 402 to check the authenticity of the candidate 110 by sending the provided biometric information (as in step [502]) and a generated hash value with it.
[0047] At step 505, the voter authentication server 402 queries the existing citizen/voter database 406 and tries to find a match for the provided biometric information.
[0048] At step 506, a response from the existing citizen/voter database 406 is sent back to the voter authentication server 402. The existing citizen/voter database 406 comprises all information about the voters/citizens 104, for example, name, age, date of birth, address, etc. with their biometric information.
[0049] At step 507, if a match is found, the voter authentication server 402 initiates a query along with the provided hash on the auth blockchain 408 to check "Whether the candidate has already filled a nomination?", number of nominations filed by the candidates. Else, goes to step 509.
[0050] At step 508, the auth blockchain 408 sends response back to the voter authentication server 402.
[0051] At step 509, the voter authentication server 402 sends a response to election application server 306 with the outcome received in step 506 and step 508.
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[0052] At step 510, if the response received in step 509 is not positive, election application server 306 response back to the candidate client application 304 with the result "You are not authenticated, or You have already filled the nomination, or You have already filed the maximum nomination" etc. Else, goes to step 512.
[0053] At step 511, the candidate client application 304 displays received result from the step 510 to the candidate.
[0054] At step 512, the election application server 306 initiate a request on the voter eligibility server 404 with the provided biometric information as in the step 502.
[0055] At step 513, the voter eligibility server 404 queries the existing citizen/voter database 406 with the provided biometric information value and perform various eligibility check, for example, age, address etc.
[0056] At step 514, the existing citizen/voter database 406 sends a response to the voter eligibility server 404 for the step 513.
[0057] At step 515, the voter eligibility server 404 response back to election application server 306 for the step 512.
[0058] At step 516, if the response received in step 515 is not positive, election application server 306 responds back to candidate client application 304 with the result "You are not eligible" etc. Else, goes to step 518.
[0059] At step 517, the candidate client application 304 displays received result from
step 516 to the candidate.
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[0060] At step 518, if the response received in step 515 is positive election application server 306 publish the candidate information into the ballot-blockchain 206 with candidate nomination area pin code. Election application server 306 also creates a private key, a public key and a public address with the candidate biometric information.
[0061] At step 519, the election application server 306 initiate a request on voter authentication server 402 to submit a hash generated with candidate's biometric information attached with count of nominations.
[0062] At step 520, the voter authentication server 402 perform a write operation in the auth blockchain 408.
[0063] At step 521, a response of successful execution of write operation is received by the voter authentication server 402 from the auth blockchain 408.
[0064] At step 522, the voter authentication server 402 sends a success message to the election application server 306 in response to the step 519.
[0065] At step 523, the election application server 306 sends a response to the candidate client application 304 for successful nomination for the election with candidate public address.
[0066] At step 524, the candidate client application 304 displays the success message to the client with public address of the candidate 110.
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[0067] At step 525, the voters 104 provide biometric information using the voter client application 302, which is configured with biometric sensor incorporated on the electronic device.
[0068] At step 526, the voter client application 302 receives the biometric information and send the same to the election application server 306.
[0069] At step 527, the election application server 306 creates a hash of the provided biometric information and initiates a request on the voter authentication server 402 with the provided (as in step [525]) biometric information and generated hash.
[0070] At step 528, the voter authentication server 402 queries the existing citizen/voter database with the provided biometric information of the voter to find a match.
[0071] At step 529, a response from the existing citizen/voter database 406 is sent back to the voter authentication server 402 in response to the step 528.
[0072] At step 530, if the response received in step 529 is positive, voter authentication server 402 queries the auth blockchain 408 with the generated hash in step [527] to check "Whether this voter already casted vote or not?". Else, goes to step 532.
[0073] At step 531, the voter authentication server 402 receives a response from the auth blockchain 408 in response of step 530.
[0074] At step 532, the voter authentication server 402 response back to election application server 306 for the request generated in the step 527.
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[0075] At step 533, if the response received in the step 532 is not positive election application server 306 responds back to voter client application 304 with the result either "You are not an authentic voter" or "You have already casted your vote" etc. Else, goes to step 535.
[0076] At step 534, the voter client application 302 displays received result from the step 533 to the voter 104.
[0077] At step 535, the election application server 306 initiates a request on the voter eligibility server 404 with the biometric information received in the step 525.
[0078] At step 536, the voter eligibility server 404 queries the existing citizen/voter database with the provided biometric information and perform various eligibility check, for example, age, address, etc.
[0079] At step 537, an existing citizen/voter database 406 sends a response to the voter eligibility server 404 for the step 536.
[0080] At step 538, the voter eligibility server 404 response back to election application server 306 for the request at step 535.
[0081] At step 539, if the response received in step 538 is not positive, election application server 306 response back to the voter client application 302 with the result "You are not eligible" etc. Else, goes to step 541.
[0082] At step 540, the voter client application 302 displays received result from the step
539 to the voter 104.
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[0083] At step 541, if the response received in step 538 is positive, election application server 306 initiate a request into the ballot-blockchain 206 with voter's domicile area pin code based on response received from voter-eligibility server. Election application server 306 also creates the private key, public key and a public address with the voter biometric
information.
<
[0084] At step 542, the candidate list in the voter pin code is received by the election application server 306.
[0085] At step 543, the election application server 306 sends the received candidates lists to the voter client application 302.
[0086] At step 544, the voter client application 302 displays the list of the participating candidates 110 with specific and pre-defined information to the voter 104. For example, the information such as, name of participating candidates, party sign and other necessary information as defied by election commission.
[0087] At step 545, the voter 104 uses biometric information provided in the step 525 to select a candidate 110 of his/her choice and places his/her biometric information with the selected candidate using the voter client application 302.
[0088] At step 546, the voter client application 302 creates a transaction using the voter
public address towards candidate public address and sends it to the election application
server 306. This will initiate a request on the election application server 306 that will use
(a) a private key generated using the voter biometric information (as in step [541]) to
digitally sign the transaction (casting of vote), (b) selected candidate's public address and
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voter public address to initiate a transaction on the ballot-blockchain 206. Voter private key is used to encrypt the voter decision and voter public key is used to create a transaction from the voter public address towards selected candidate public address.
[0089] At step 547, the election application server 306 submit the information created in step 546 into the ballot-blockchain 206. This transaction will be included in the ballot-blockchain 206, after the verification, where all electronic devices in the distributed peer-to-peer network receives an update about this transaction and update their ledger.
[0090] At step 548, the election application server 306 initiate a request on voter authentication server 402 to submit the hash of voter biometric information in the auth blockchain 408, which could be utilized in step 530 if same voter tries to vote again.
[0091] At step 549, the voter authentication server 402 perform a write operation in the auth blockchain 408 to submit information received in the step 548.
[0092] At step 550, the election application server 306 sends response to the voter client application 302 for successfully casting the vote.
. [0093] At step 551, the voter client application 302 displays the message received in step 550 to the voter 104.
[0094] At step 552, after completion of election, number of transactions of all participating candidates will be compared and the results declared accordingly. Voters 104 could use their public address to audit their vote.
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[0095] Referring to FIG. 6, a process flow diagram 600 of proposed blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system 106 with respect to the voter 104, with reference to FIG. 5 is illustrated. Referring to FIG. 7, a process flow diagram 700 of proposed blockchain and biometric based secure electoral system 106 with respect to the candidate 110, with reference to FIG. 5 is illustrated.
[0096] Referring to FIG. 8, a flowchart 800 for vote casting process, with reference to FIG. 5 - FIG. 6, is illustrated. The process starts at step 801 and ends at step 809. At step 802, the voters 104 provide biometric information using the voter client application 302. At step 803, election application server 306 authenticates and checks voter eligibility using provided biometric information with the help of voter authentication server 402 and voter eligibility server 404 to generate a private key, a public key and a public address for the voter. At step 804, the election application server 306 displays the list of participating candidates in voter pin code area after fetching information from the ballot-blockchain 206 database. Candidate 110 public address is attached with the candidate sign/image. At step 805, voter 104 uses earlier provided biometric information to select the candidate of his/her choice. Using voter client application 302, voter 104 places his/her biometric information on the party sign of the candidate/ on the image of the candidate/ on the name of the candidate/ on the biometric sensor besides the selected candidate. At step 806, the voter 104 private key generated with the voter biometric information used to digitally sign the voter choice of preference, and using the voter public address a transaction is initiated towards the candidate public address. At step 807, after verification, the transaction is included into the ballot blockchain 206. At step 808, the
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voter 104 gets hash of the transaction/ public address generated with biometric generated private key.
[0097] In one embodiment, the electronic device or electronic hardware device is a computing device. In one embodiment, the electronic device is a voting machine. In one embodiment, the computing device is at least one of a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone, mobile and/or handheld electronic devices. In one embodiment, the electronic device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory unit. In one embodiment, the voting application unit or the voting component is stored in the at least one memory unit of the electronic device. In one embodiment, the communication between plurality of electronic device is done via wireless network. In an embodiment, the wireless network could be a Wi-Fi network, WiMax network, and wireless local area network. In some embodiments, the existing voter database 406 is a database such as Citizen Identity Management Applications of a country with biometric information.
[0098] Accordingly, the advantage of the present invention comprises: prevents any addition, modification and deletion of votes after the election or during the election, allows to audit the data submitted to blockchain while maintaining anonymity, prevent alteration of the functionality and information of the application or data, as the system handled by a distributed peer-to-peer blockchain network, utilizes voter biometric for casting vote to prevent buying of vote or vote rigging and enables the voter to cast his/her vote from the safe confines of his/her home, especially desirable for sick, ailing and elderly citizens.
LOT IS-12 - 2©17 1? : 49

[0099] Further, a combination of biometric, cryptography and blockchain application makes sure that votes cannot be added, modified and deleted after the election. It also makes sure that fake votes cannot be added during the election (using the biometric). All data submitted to blockchain will be auditable. While maintaining anonymity, application will make sure everybody can audit their or others' (if the public address is known) votes and verify election result independently. There will be no central control, so nobody, alter or disturb the functionality and information of the application, as it's handled by the distributed peer-to-peer blockchain network. Vote rigging and buying is almost impossible using the suggest system, as the voter biometric is used for the verification and vote casting purpose. The voter has the option of casting his/her vote from the sage confirms of his/her home, especially desirable for the sick, ailing and elderly citizens.
[00100] Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the
accompanying drawings and described in the above detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment developed herein, but is capable of numerous'rearrangements, modifications, substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
[00101] The foregoing description comprises illustrative embodiments of the
present invention. Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures are exemplary only, and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. Merely listing or numbering the steps of a method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps
26
ELHI 1.5-12-2Q17-- 17:49.

of that method. Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions. Although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used only in generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated herein.

What is claimed are:
A blockchain and biometric based electronic election system, comprising:
a combination of electronic hardware devices connected with each other in a distributed peer-to-peer network and software application incorporated on said electronic hardware devices, configured for the electoral process;
an election application system; wherein the election application system is configured to:
receive biometric information from one or more voters/candidates and
provide user interface to the voters/candidates/election
commission officers for performing tasks to participate in the
electoral process, an authentication and eligibility check system, wherein the authentication and eligibility check system is configured to:
receive biometric information as an input from the election
application system, and
perform the task of voter authentication and eligibility into the
existing databases for the electoral process, and a ballot-blockchain, wherein the ballot-blockchain is configured to store result or voter decision, candidate information into the blockchain in the electoral process.
The system according to claim 1, wherein the election application system comprises a voter client application, a candidate client application, and an election application server.

The system according to claim 2, wherein the voter client application is configured to provide graphical user interface, which is used for receiving biometric information from the voter, displaying candidate/contestant information according to the voter pin code area, and for casting vote, thereby providing freedom to the voter regarding participation in election related activities from anywhere using electronic device, including smart watch, smart phone, tablet, desktop and laptop.
The system according to claim 1, is further configured to couple and function with one or more biometric devices including a fingerprint recognition, face recognition, iris recognition, voice recognition, or signature recognition biometric devices.
The system according to claim 2, wherein the candidate client application is configured to provide graphical user interface, which is used for receiving biometric and other required information from the candidates participating in the election.
The system according to claim 2, wherein the election application server is configured to receive input from the voter client application and candidate client application, and communicate to the authentication and eligibility check system, thereby enabling the election application server to check the authenticity and eligibility of the both voter and candidate and display the received response on the voter client application and candidate client application.
The system according to claim 2, wherein the election application server is configured to publish candidate information into the ballot-blockchain, which is further configured to:
(a) display the list of candidates on the voter client application after receiving it from ballot-blockchain,
(b) receive voter decision as an input, and

(c) submit the voter decision into the ballot-blockchain.
The system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication and eligibility check system comprises a voter authentication server, a voter eligibility server, an existing citizen/voter database, and an "auth blockchain.
The system according to claim 8, wherein the voter authentication server and the voter eligibility server are configured to receive one or more requests from the election application server.
).The system according to claim 8, wherein the voter authentication server preforms query into the auth blockchain and into the existing citizen/voter database, and sends response to the election application server.
. The system according to claim 8, wherein the voter eligibility server is configured to receive voter information from the existing citizen/voter database and performs eligibility check on the received information, and sends response to the election application server.
. The system according to claim 8, wherein the existing voter/citizen database comprises information related to the existing voter attached with the voter biometric information.
. The system according to claim 8, wherein the auth blockchain is a blockchain based database, and comprises of a hash of the biometric information of the voters' and candidates' who have casted their votes or nominated as candidates.
.The system according to claim 2, wherein the election application server is further configured to send public address, by using phone/email to a phone number and email address registered in the voter database.
.The system according to claim 2, wherein the election application server further configured to identify and stop the voter from more than one vote submission in a voting transaction in the ballot-blockchain database.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the private key, public key and public address are generated using the voter biometric information.
17. The system according to claim 2, wherein the election application server further configured to allow each voter to audit the casted vote using the public key/public address.
18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes computing devices, voting devices, biometric devices, smartphones and the like.
19. A blockchain and biometric based election method implemented in the blockchain and biometric based electronic election system, comprising a combination of electronic hardware devices connected with each other in a distributed peer-to-peer network and software application incorporated on said electronic hardware devices, configured for the electoral process, comprising the steps of:
providing biometric information by one or more voters via a voter client application;
authenticating by an election application server, and verifying voter' • eligibility using biometric information by a voter authentication server and a voter eligibility server, to generate a private key, a public key and a public address for the voter;
displaying, by the election application server, a list of participating candidates in voter pin code area after fetching information from the ballot-blockchain database, wherein the candidate public address is attached with the candidate sign/image;
utilizing, earlier provided biometric information by the voters to select the candidate of his/her choice; *
utilizing, voter client application, voter places his/her biometric information on the party sign of the candidate/ on the image of the

candidate/ on the name of the candidate/ on the biometric sensor besides the selected candidate;
generating, the voter private key with the voter biometric information to digitally sign the voter choice of preference, and using the voter public address a transaction is initiated towards the candidate public address;
including, the transaction into the ballot-blockchain after verification, and
receiving, by the voters, hash of the transaction/ public address generated with the biometric generated private key.
20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of identifying and blocking the voter from multiple casting of vote.
21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of: allowing each voter to audit their voting transaction request using the public address.
22.The method according to claim 19, wherein authentication further comprising the step of: checking eligibility criteria of each voter for participating the ongoing election process.
23.The method according to claim 19, wherein the public key and the private key are generated using the voter biometric information