Skip to main content

Security Model

The GoVote-IO system is designed with security as a foundational principle. This document outlines our security model and the measures we've implemented to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the voting system.

Core Security Principles​

1. Defense in Depth​

We implement multiple layers of security controls throughout the system so that if one layer fails, others remain intact:

  • Application-level security
  • Transport-level encryption
  • Network segmentation
  • Physical security requirements for deployments
  • Multi-cloud redundancy

2. Privacy by Design​

Voter privacy is protected through:

  • Complete separation of voter identity from vote choices
  • Anonymous cryptographic tokens for ballot access
  • No persistent correlation between voter and their selections

3. Transparency​

Security through obscurity is rejected in favor of:

  • Fully open-source codebase
  • Published security architecture
  • Public vulnerability disclosure process
  • Independent security audits

Technical Security Features​

End-to-End Encryption​

  • All data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.3
  • All sensitive data at rest is encrypted using industry-standard algorithms
  • Key management follows best practices for rotation and protection

Multi-Factor Authentication​

  • Election administrators require hardware security keys
  • Poll workers use a combination of credentials and one-time codes
  • Critical operations require multiple authentication factors

Multi-Cloud Redundancy​

Vote data is stored redundantly across:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Platform

This approach ensures:

  • No single cloud provider has complete control over election data
  • Results can be independently verified across providers
  • Service continuity even if one provider experiences an outage

Geofenced Voting​

  • Voting is restricted to authorized physical locations
  • Location verification is required before ballot access
  • Anomalous access attempts are flagged and investigated

Audit and Verification​

Vote Verification​

  • Voters receive a cryptographic receipt hash that can be used to verify their vote was recorded
  • The verification process never reveals the contents of the vote, preserving ballot secrecy

System Auditing​

  • Comprehensive audit logging of all system activities
  • Independent verification of election results
  • Automated integrity checking between cloud providers
  • CLI-based audit tools for election officials and observers

Paper Backup​

  • Paper ballot printing is available for jurisdictions requiring physical records
  • Paper records can be used for recounts and audits

Security Testing and Review​

The GoVote-IO system undergoes:

  1. Regular security code reviews
  2. Static and dynamic application security testing
  3. Penetration testing before major releases
  4. Bug bounty programs to incentivize responsible disclosure

Incident Response​

We maintain a comprehensive incident response plan that includes:

  1. Monitoring and detection systems
  2. Established response procedures
  3. Forensic investigation capabilities
  4. Transparent disclosure protocols

Participate in Security​

We welcome security researchers and professionals to review our code and provide feedback: