The 2024 election year is set to be historic, with half of the world’s population voting in political elections. However, amidst geopolitical tensions and rapid technological advancements, concerns persist about the accuracy of vote counting and the fair distribution of power, free from external interference. How can we ensure that important elections are as secure as possible, whether for the chairman of a chess club or the President of the United States? And can this be achieved online?

Bas Spitters, associate professor at Aarhus University and head of the Concordium Blockchain Research Center (CoBRA), leads the project, which is nearing completion. Alongside the PhD students Lasse Letager Hansen and Eske Hoy Nielsen, he has mathematically proven that the blockchain protocol OpenVoteNetwork is correctly implemented and encrypted to a degree suitable for use in elections. This marks the first time a blockchain protocol and its software implementation has been mathematically secured and verified.