Decentralized Voting System for Local Elections

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Wondemagegn

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Individual

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

No

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

8

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will create a blockchain-based voting application that ensures transparent, secure, and fraud-resistant local elections, providing real-time verifiability and decentralization.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

Decentralized Voting System for Local Electors:

Cardano Blockchain: The platform relies on the Cardano blockchain for secure and transparent voting. Any network changes could impact its functionality.

Smart Contract Development: The system depends on well-designed smart contracts to automate and secure the voting process.

Regulatory Compliance: The project must comply with local election laws and data privacy regulations.

Community Engagement: Successful adoption relies on community participation and local government support.

Cardano Credit Connect:

Cardano Blockchain: Relies on Cardano for processing transactions and securing loans with ADA.

Smart Contract Auditing: Secure, tested smart contracts are essential for the loan process.

Community Trust: Depends on the Cardano community for adoption and trust-building.

Ada plus CompassionFend:

Compassion Institution: The project depends on collaboration with the Compassion institution for its outreach and mission alignment.

Cardano Community: Relies on the Cardano community for technical support and promotion.

Microfinance Platform:

Cardano Smart Contracts: Uses Cardano's smart contracts for loan facilitation between investors and micro-entrepreneurs.

Legal Compliance: Must adhere to lending laws in various regions.

Local Partnerships: Needs partnerships with local institutions or NGOs to reach underserved communities.

Art and Culture Preservation:

NFT Marketplace: Depends on an NFT platform for digitizing and selling cultural artifacts.

Community and Artists: Success relies on the engagement of local communities and artists for creating and showcasing NFTs.

Blockchain Infrastructure: Utilizes blockchain technology for secure and transparent NFT transactions.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

We will make the project fully open-source to foster community collaboration and transparency. The decentralized voting system will be publicly accessible for inspection, modification, and enhancement. The code repository will be available on GitHub (or a similar platform) throughout the entire lifecycle of the project, ensuring openness from development to deployment.

Type of license:

We intend to use the MIT License for this project, which allows for maximum flexibility. This license will ensure that anyone can freely use, modify, and distribute the software while also providing attribution to the original authors.

Further information on open-source status:

All core elements of the project, including the blockchain smart contracts, user interface code, and backend infrastructure, will be open source. The only exception may be private data storage configurations related to specific local governments or voting bodies, which would remain private for security reasons. However, the core voting infrastructure will be open and available for audit and community contributions.

[METADATA] Horizons

Community

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Proposed Solution:

The project, a Decentralized Voting System for Local Elections, addresses the critical issue of election transparency and security. Many local elections around the world suffer from issues such as fraud, lack of verifiability, and voter distrust. Our solution leverages blockchain technology to create a secure, transparent, and tamper-proof voting application that can be easily adopted by local governments to improve the integrity of their election processes.

How We Perceive the Problem:

We see the core problem as the lack of trust in current voting systems due to vulnerabilities in security and transparency. Traditional election methods, whether paper-based or digital, can be manipulated, making it difficult for voters to trust election results. Fraudulent activities, vote tampering, and the lack of real-time verification further erode voter confidence.

Blockchain technology, particularly on Cardano, can solve this issue by providing an immutable, decentralized ledger. By ensuring that all votes are publicly verifiable without compromising voter privacy, we can restore faith in the voting process.

Our Approach:

We chose a decentralized approach because it aligns with the principles of transparency and immutability. Each vote will be recorded on the blockchain, ensuring that once a vote is cast, it cannot be altered or deleted. This approach provides the security and transparency needed in local elections, where trust can be a major issue.

Our voting system will:

Provide real-time verification of votes, allowing voters to ensure their vote has been counted.

Use smart contracts to automate the voting and counting process, reducing human intervention and errors.

Ensure anonymity while providing transparency—votes are visible but detached from voter identities, safeguarding privacy.

Who Will Our Project Engage?

Our project primarily targets local governments and communities looking for secure, modern voting solutions. By collaborating with municipalities, electoral bodies, and civic organizations, we will pilot our voting application in local elections where transparency is most needed.

Secondary beneficiaries include voters, who will experience greater trust in the election process, and developers, who can contribute to or adapt the open-source project for different election formats or regions.

Demonstrating and Proving Impact:

To demonstrate our impact, we plan to:

Pilot the voting system in a local election, closely monitoring voter participation, user feedback, and system performance.

Provide open-source access to the codebase, allowing developers to audit, improve, and test the system independently.

Release a detailed report on the results of the pilot, showing how blockchain-based voting improved transparency, reduced costs, and eliminated fraud.

Impact metrics will include voter satisfaction, system adoption by local governments, and reports of election integrity improvements.

What is Unique About Our Solution?

While many blockchain-based voting systems exist, our solution is unique in its focus on local elections and its use of Cardano’s eco-friendly, scalable blockchain. We aim to create a voting system that is not only secure and transparent but also accessible to smaller communities with limited resources.

We believe that by starting with local elections, where trust and community engagement are critical, we can build a system that can later be adapted for larger-scale elections.

Why This Matters to Cardano:

Our solution leverages the Cardano blockchain to showcase the real-world utility of decentralized applications, specifically in critical civic functions like voting. By utilizing Cardano’s proof-of-stake system, we ensure that the platform is both energy-efficient and scalable, which is essential for wider adoption.

This project aligns with Cardano’s vision of promoting decentralization and empowering communities. By improving the integrity of elections, we also strengthen democratic processes, which is crucial for building fair and transparent societies.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Positive Impact on the Cardano Community:

Our Decentralized Voting System will have a significant and lasting positive impact on the Cardano community by demonstrating real-world applications of blockchain technology in a civic context. By solving the problems of transparency, security, and trust in local elections, our project will highlight the potential of Cardano as a platform for decentralized governance and societal advancement.

Value to the Cardano Community:

Showcasing Blockchain’s Utility in Governance: The success of our project will demonstrate how Cardano can be used to enhance democratic processe

Driving Adoption of Cardano: By deploying our solution in local elections, we will provide a tangible use case for Cardano’s technolog

Building Trust in Decentralized Systems: Our project will serve as a proof of concept for using blockchain to handle sensitive, high-stakes processes like votin

Open Source Contributions: By making the project open source, we will contribute to the Cardano developer ecosystem, allowing other developers to build upon or adapt our solution for their own need

Measuring Impact:

We will measure both quantitative and qualitative impact, using the following methods:

1.Adoption Rates: We will track the number of local governments and organizations that implement our voting syste

2.Voter Feedback and Satisfaction: We will gather feedback from voters and election officials who use the system in real-world election

3.Reduction of Election Fraud and Errors: By comparing pre- and post-implementation election results, we will be able to identify reductions in fraudulent activities or error

4.Developer Engagement: We will track how many developers contribute to or fork the open-source repositor

Sharing Outputs and Opportunities:

1.Open-Source Repository: We will publish our project’s codebase on GitHub (or another open-source platform), making it accessible to the entire Cardano developer communit

2.Reports and Case Studies: After piloting the system, we will release a comprehensive report detailing the results, challenges, and success stories from the elections that used our syste

3.Workshops and Webinars: We will organize workshops and webinars to educate the community on how to implement and adapt the system for their need

4.Collaboration with Cardano Projects: We aim to collaborate with other Cardano projects that are focused on governance, identity verification (e.g., Atala PRISM), or civic engagemen

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Capability to Deliver the Project with Trust and Accountability

I have a solid track record of managing blockchain-related projects and have developed key skills in blockchain development, project management, and system design, which position me well to lead the Decentralized Voting System project. Throughout my experience, I have maintained high standards of accountability, delivering on time and within budget for previous projects. Additionally, my understanding of decentralized systems, cryptography, and secure voting mechanisms ensures that the system will be built on a strong technical foundation.

Approach to Validate Feasibility

To ensure that the approach is both feasible and effective, I will employ a structured, iterative development process, including the following steps:

Initial Research and Design Validation:

During the initial two months, I will engage stakeholders (local governments, election authorities) to ensure the proposed solution meets their requirements. This will include gathering feedback on the design and technical specifications to ensure the system addresses the core issues of electoral transparency and security.

Prototype Development and Testing:

A minimum viable product (MVP) will be developed, which will undergo internal testing to validate functionality. This phase will allow me to detect and address any issues early, ensuring the system operates securely and effectively.

External Audits and Community Testing:

Engaging third-party auditors and conducting a pilot implementation will be crucial steps in verifying the system’s feasibility in a real-world setting. Independent security audits will ensure that the system meets the highest security standards, while user feedback from pilot testing will provide insights for refining the system.

Demonstration of Trust and Accountability

Transparency in Fund Management:

I will maintain full transparency in how the allocated 50,000 ADA budget is managed. This includes providing detailed reports at each milestone to demonstrate progress and expenditure. I intend to use transparent financial tools to track every expenditure, ensuring that all funds are properly accounted for and allocated strictly according to the budget breakdown.

Community Reporting and Open-source Repository:

Regular updates will be shared with the Cardano community, and I will maintain an open-source repository where all progress, code, and documentation can be reviewed. This provides full visibility into the development process and allows community members to track how the project is progressing.

Milestone-based Delivery:

The project will follow a milestone-based structure, which helps ensure that funds are released only after achieving clear, predefined goals. This structured approach guarantees that resources are being used efficiently and that accountability is maintained at every step of the process.

Why I Am Suited to Deliver the Project

With my background in blockchain development, combined with a deep understanding of decentralized technologies and electoral integrity, I am confident in my ability to execute this project. I have successfully completed projects involving the creation of secure, scalable systems, and I bring that expertise into building a solution that addresses the unique challenges of election security.

Additionally, my approach emphasizes collaborating with professionals for specific areas (security audits, legal consultation), ensuring the project draws on the best expertise available to meet its goals.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Research & Design (Months 1-2)

Description: Conduct initial research and finalize the system design for the voting application.

Research blockchain-based voting systems and their challenges.

Design the architecture for the decentralized voting system (blockchain infrastructure, front-end, back-end, smart contracts).

Engage with local governments to gather requirements and design the system to meet their needs.

Acceptance Criteria:

Detailed technical design document outlining the system architecture.

Initial feedback from at least two local governments or communities.

Selection of blockchain tools and frameworks to be used.

Prototype Development & Testing (Months 3-6)

Description: Develop the first working prototype of the voting application.

Create the core components: smart contracts, blockchain integration, user interface, and backend services.

Conduct internal testing for functionality, security, and scalability.

Initial demo of the application for stakeholders and gather feedback.

Acceptance Criteria:

A functional MVP (minimum viable product) with basic voting features (voter registration, vote casting, and vote tallying).

Internal testing reports detailing system performance, security, and usability.

Documented stakeholder feedback from the demo.

Pilot Implementation & Security Audit (Months 7-8)

Description: Deploy the system for a small-scale pilot in a local election.

Finalize all security features, ensuring privacy and tamper-proof vote recording.

Conduct a full security audit (either in-house or through third-party auditors).

Execute the pilot election with a local government or civic organization.

Acceptance Criteria:

Completed pilot with real election data and successful recording of votes.

Security audit report with issues resolved.

Post-election feedback from users (voters and election officials) documenting the success and areas of improvement.

Project Close-out Report and Video (Month 8)

Description: Finalize the project by documenting results and producing a project video.

Prepare a comprehensive project report covering the project’s objectives, process, and outcomes.

Create a short video demonstrating the system in action, lessons learned, and the project's impact on the election process.

Publish the source code in an open-source repository.

Acceptance Criteria:

Completed final project report, including all metrics (adoption rates, user feedback, security assessments).

Published video summarizing the project and pilot election.

Open-source code repository with full documentation.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Project Team:

Wondemagegn - Project Lead & Developer

I am taking on the primary responsibilities for the Decentralized Voting System, managing all key aspects of the project, including design, development, and implementation. As a sole contributor, I will cover the main roles such as blockchain development, user interface design, and project management.

Collaboration with Professionals

To enhance the project’s effectiveness, I plan to collaborate with professionals in their respective fields for specialized tasks and insights. This includes seeking input from cybersecurity experts, UI/UX designers, and legal consultants to ensure that the voting system is secure, user-friendly, and compliant with local election laws.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Total Budget: 50,000 ADA

Milestone Breakdown:

Milestone 1: Research & Design (Months 1-2)

Description: Conduct research, finalize the system design, and engage with local governments for feedback.

Budget Allocation: 10,000 ADA

Use of Funds:

Research resources: 2,000 ADA

Design tools (software licenses): 3,000 ADA

Initial community engagement (meetings, materials): 5,000 ADA

Milestone 2: Prototype Development & Testing (Months 3-5)

Description: Develop the MVP of the voting application and conduct internal testing.

Budget Allocation: 20,000 ADA

Use of Funds:

Development tools and software: 5,000 ADA

Developer fees (if applicable, or your time): 10,000 ADA

Initial testing and QA resources: 5,000 ADA

Milestone 3: Pilot Implementation & Security Audit (Months 6-7)

Description: Deploy the system for a small-scale pilot and conduct a security audit.

Budget Allocation: 15,000 ADA

Use of Funds:

Security audit fees: 5,000 ADA

Pilot implementation costs (hardware, network fees): 5,000 ADA

Community engagement and feedback collection: 5,000 ADA

Milestone 4: Project Close-out Report and Video (Month 7)

Description: Finalize the project with documentation and produce a project video.

Budget Allocation: 5,000 ADA

Use of Funds:

Documentation resources (report writing, case studies): 2,000 ADA

Video production and editing: 3,000 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Value for Money for the Cardano Ecosystem

The total budget of 50,000 ADA for the Decentralized Voting System is designed to ensure high-quality development and implementation while providing significant value to the Cardano ecosystem. This project directly addresses the critical need for secure, transparent voting mechanisms, which can strengthen democratic processes and enhance trust in local governance.

Cost Justification

1.Competitive Rates: The budget allocations reflect competitive rates in the tech industry, particularly for blockchain development and design role

2.Quality Assurance: Investing in quality assurance, such as security audits and extensive testing, is crucial in building trust in the syste

3.Local Engagement: The budget includes provisions for community engagement and outreach to local governments, which is vital for the project's succes

4.Holistic Development Approach: By budgeting for various phases, from design and development to pilot implementation and community feedback, the project ensures a thorough approach to system creatio

Long-Term Benefits to the Cardano Ecosystem

The project will contribute to the broader Cardano ecosystem by:

Demonstrating Use Cases: A successful decentralized voting system serves as a model for other projects, showcasing the capabilities of the Cardano blockchain in enabling democratic processes.

Community Trust: By improving electoral integrity at the local level, the project can enhance the overall perception of blockchain technology, fostering trust and encouraging wider adoption within communities.

Enhanced Visibility: The project will increase awareness of Cardano’s potential applications in civic tech, potentially attracting further investments and collaborations that can expand the ecosystem.