Secure Blockchain E-Voting System (University of Greenwich)

Developed as part of my research at the University of Greenwich, this decentralized e-voting platform explored how blockchain can strengthen electoral trust through cryptographic verification, transparency, and privacy. Traditional electronic voting systems suffer from centralization risks, tampering, and lack of voter confidence. My goal was to design a secure and compliant voting system where every ballot is auditable, anonymous, and immutable — combining privacy-by-design principles with applied security engineering.

• Voter impersonation or multiple voting through identity loopholes
• Vote tampering via smart contract or database manipulation
• Loss of anonymity or voter traceability due to weak pseudonymization
• Unauthorized administrator control or non-auditable actions
• Unverifiable election results due to data loss or lack of transparency

1. Architected a three-tier system: ReactJS frontend, Node.js + MySQL middleware, and Solidity smart contracts on Ethereum blockchain.
2. Implemented Proof of Authority consensus to maintain integrity in controlled election environments while minimizing network overhead.
3. Developed Solidity contracts enforcing registration, vote casting, and tally verification with immutability and strict role-based permissions.
4. Integrated MetaMask for voter-side key management and cryptographic authentication without exposing private keys to the server.
5. Applied iterative DSDM Agile methodology with MoSCoW prioritization to balance security, performance, and usability requirements.
6. Executed layered security testing — unit, integration, penetration, and smart contract attack simulations to assess reentrancy, replay, and overflow vulnerabilities.
7. Mapped all data handling and logging processes to GDPR principles — ensuring lawful processing, consent, and data minimization.

The deployed DApp achieved verifiable election integrity with no observed data tampering or double voting during simulation. Audit trails on-chain ensured end-to-end traceability, and voter anonymity was preserved through cryptographic hashing. Security tests validated contract safety against known exploit patterns. The platform passed internal compliance evaluation and demonstrated blockchain’s potential for transparent digital democracy.

Security in civic technology requires a balance between trust, accessibility, and compliance. Decentralization only works when reinforced by verified identity flows and transparent governance. Through this project, I learned that blockchain’s real power lies not in hype — but in engineering verifiable trust through design, validation, and ethical implementation.