ZKP voting promises to unlock mathematically secure democracies | Opinion

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In my humble opinion, the article penned by Andre Omietanski and Amal Ibraymi serves as a beacon of hope for the future of secure and democratic voting systems. As individuals with diverse backgrounds in traditional finance, law, and international organizations, they have brought their unique perspectives to bear on the challenges facing our current systems.

2024’s US presidential election highlighted a surge in public interest towards prediction markets and citizen journalism. Although blockchain technology offers unprecedented citizen empowerment, the critical challenge for the future of our government lies in ensuring voter privacy and security. Traditional paper voting methods are expensive and sluggish, while existing digital voting systems lack transparency, accessibility, and above all, trust-building elements—threatening democracy itself.

As an analyst, I delve into the realm of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), a groundbreaking cryptographic technique that safeguards privacy, brevity, and immutability in verifications. These innovative methods can significantly overhaul national election systems by providing verifiable, tamper-proof votes, thus revolutionizing democratic processes.

Understanding where and how paper ballots went wrong

In our modern world filled with technological innovations across various aspects, it’s surprising that the U.S. electoral system predominantly utilizes hand-marked paper ballots. This year alone, estimates suggest that around 98% of votes for the presidential election in November will be cast on these paper ballots. Though paper systems are generally perceived as secure, they necessitate trust and expose voter data to potential breaches, misuse, and identity theft.

In my work as a researcher, I’ve come to realize that conventional voting systems often lack transparency and means for voters to confirm the authenticity of their vote, which fuels distrust among the public and facilitates the spread of misinformation. The 2020 US elections serve as a prime example, with numerous allegations arising due to the absence of a robust mechanism for voters to independently verify the results. It’s clear that insecure systems undermine trust and contribute to the perpetuation of unfounded beliefs about electoral integrity.

How traditional methods of electronic voting offer flawed systems

Electronic voting systems were implemented to streamline elections and cut costs, but they carry a substantial risk to the integrity of elections due to their security and trust issues. This is largely because these systems depend on central authorities, making them susceptible to manipulation, pressure, and breaches of privacy.

Initial efforts to tackle these problems, like those utilizing blockchain technology, offer decentralization and automated counting. Yet, these blockchain-based solutions frequently fail to adequately handle scalability and protect voters’ personal data. The absence of robust privacy features in existing decentralized blockchain technology could potentially undermine voter privacy, revealing both the identity and voting choices of individuals, much like paper or conventional electronic systems.

A system that guarantees voter authenticity, confidentiality, and protection against tampering is essential, while minimizing the amount of data stored on the blockchain to improve speed and efficiency without jeopardizing security. This is where Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) technology shines. By addressing the balance between openness and privacy, ZKPs serve as a robust foundation for secure, verifiable, and streamlined voting processes.

Introducing ZK proofs: The next-gen solution to voter integrity

Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) provide an ideal method for safeguarding voter privacy and facilitating scalable voting systems. This is possible because ZKPs let voters prove their eligibility or vote legitimacy without exposing their identity or vote selection, thus guaranteeing both confidentiality and trustworthiness in the process. ZKPs achieve this through mathematical concepts that enable the verification of claims, such as vote validity during elections, without revealing any personal information or sensitive data. Furthermore, off-chain computations with ZKP can tackle scalability problems in blockchain-based electronic voting systems by lessening on-chain storage demands, making it feasible to manage large-scale elections while preserving transparency, privacy, and universal verifiability.

Let’s delve deeper into the role of Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) in creating robust, mathematically sound democratic processes by addressing the shortcomings of current electronic voting systems.

Verification of voter integrity: Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) enable voters to confirm the legitimacy of their vote or documents without exposing confidential information about themselves or their documents. This is achieved through three elements in the ZKP algorithm: completeness, soundness, and zero-knowledge. Completeness ensures that if a statement (X) is true, and both the prover and verifier adhere to the protocol correctly, the verifier must accept the proof as valid. In other words, it prevents the falsification of proofs, thus ensuring trustworthiness. Also, soundness means that if the statement (X) is false, even if everyone follows the protocol accurately, the verifier will not be persuaded by the proof.

2. In a Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) system, a distributed and open ledger, known as the blockchain, documents votes, ensuring accountability and security by design.

3. Maintaining Voting Transparency and Honesty: Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) establish a collusion-resistant system where voters can confirm their vote has been correctly counted in the total without disclosing their voting choices, fostering trust and integrity during the voting procedure.

4. Ensuring Mathematical Integrity: Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) offer strong assurances, verifying that the voting process is secure.

Real-world applications of ZKPs in voting 

In October 2024, the main opposition party in Georgia, United National Movement, introduced “United Space,” an identity app created by Rarimo, a company specializing in decentralized digital identities. This app leverages blockchain technology and Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) to provide secure and anonymous voting, aiming to increase voter participation by incentivizing votes and safeguarding voters’ identities.

These projects such as zkPassport, Anon Aadhaar, and OpenPassport showcase how Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) can be utilized in identity verification processes. This innovation allows the confirmation of details like nationality or age, all while safeguarding personal privacy information.

Existing limitations of ZKP-based identification 

While ZKPs offer groundbreaking potential for secure voting systems, they still face challenges, particularly their reliance on passports for verification. Passport ownership is not universal—only around 50% of the US population holds a valid passport, and rates are much lower in many developing countries. Moreover, passports lack biometric validation, making them susceptible to fraud through stolen or counterfeit documents. Corrupt issuing authorities could theoretically manipulate voting outcomes by creating invalid documents that nonetheless pass verification.

Another fundamental challenge lies in the persistence of cryptographic signatures associated with revoked or replaced passports. Even when a document is no longer valid, its digital signature often remains usable, introducing a risk of misuse. Finally, many ZKP-based systems rely on a single point of verification—typically a passport—rather than aggregating attestations from multiple sources, such as national ID systems, banking institutions, or mobile carriers. This reliance increases the likelihood of system failures or manipulation. 

A solution to these challenges exists in expanding the sources of identity verification to include attestations from diverse and trusted attestors. Incorporating biometric validation into the passport verification process could significantly reduce risks associated with stolen or borrowed documents. Additionally, the development of cryptographic standards that allow for the invalidation of outdated signatures would address vulnerabilities posed by revoked or replaced documents. 

Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) mark a transformative approach to secure voting, tackling weaknesses in conventional and blockchain-based systems. These innovative tools offer mathematically robust, privacy-protecting elections, which could boost trust, transparency, and involvement in democratic procedures. As ZKP technology advances, it holds the promise of unlocking democracies that are not only secure but also more inclusive, fair, and participatory.

This article was co-authored by Andre Omietanski and Amal Ibraymi.

Andre Omietanski & Amal Ibraymi

Andre Omietanski serves as the general legal advisor at Aztec Labs, a company focused on creating a privacy-centric Layer-2 solution for Ethereum that empowers developers to create privacy-focused applications while maintaining regulatory compliance. Before joining Aztec Labs, Andre accumulated over a decade’s worth of international and multifaceted expertise in intricate traditional finance transactions at White & Case in London, where he departed as a counsel. Previously, he provided crypto guidance to emerging startups within the Ethereum, Cosmos, and Polkadot communities.

 

Amal Ibraymi, in her role as legal advisor at Aztec Labs, assists the company in their mission to promote technologies that safeguard privacy and decentralized finance. Prior to joining Aztec, Amal served as a privacy specialist at Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s New York and Paris offices, offering guidance on data protection, encryption, and global compliance regarding privacy matters. Her professional journey also includes stints at the United Nations Secretariat’s Legal Affairs office in New York City, the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, and as a Privacy Fellow at the OECD headquarters in Paris. Amal holds dual degrees: an LLM from NYU School of Law and a JD/MA from Sciences Po Paris.

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2024-12-20 16:52