Summary: For sure! 7Block Labs is all about coming up with, testing, and perfecting voting solutions that you can really trust. We’ve developed a voting system that’s not just secure but also super transparent, thanks to blockchain technology. It’s all about making sure the process is reliable--no gimmicks, just the real deal. Hey there! In this guide, we’re going to explore the current rules and regulations around blockchain. We’ll chat about what blockchain can actually handle and where it falls short. Plus, we’ll share some of our favorite architectures that we think work really well. And don’t worry, we’ll also walk you through how we launch low-risk pilots that can hold up against cryptographic hurdles and rigorous testing from red teams. Let’s get started!

Can You Recommend a Consulting Service with a Focus on Blockchain for Secure Voting Systems?

Decision-makers frequently toss this question our way: “Is it really possible to use blockchain for voting without running into issues with risk, compliance, and making sure everything’s verifiable?” Here’s the short answer: definitely! If you mix some top-notch cryptography--think E2E verifiability, threshold decryption, mixnets, or even zero-knowledge proofs--with well-planned, audit-heavy setups, you can make it happen. Let’s take a look at what’s really working in 2025, what’s best left behind, and how 7Block Labs can help you get some awesome, tangible results.

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The regulatory reality (United States and Europe) you must design for

• In the U.S. So, the EAC's VVSG 2--what's that all about? Right now, 0 is pretty much the gold standard for certifying voting systems. The first systems to get certified under this new guideline kicked off in July 2025, and guess what? Hart's Verity Vanguard was right at the forefront, leading the way! VVSG 2. 0 really takes cybersecurity and accessibility to the next level! Just a heads up, though: it doesn’t cover online ballot returns, so that’s something to keep in mind. If you’re considering adding online voting to public elections, just a heads-up: those systems aren’t covered by the VVSG guidelines. (eac.gov).

Hey, just a heads-up! CISA, EAC, FBI, and NIST have come together again to update their joint memo titled “Risk Management for Electronic Ballot Delivery, Marking, and Return.” This is all set for the 2024 election cycle. Just a heads-up--this memo highlights that returning electronic ballots is considered a pretty high-risk area. You can definitely expect that this topic is going to pop up in conversations among risk managers and legal teams. (cisa.gov).

The report from the National Academies called “Securing the Vote” is still the go-to resource when it comes to research in the U.S. on this topic. It really stands out as a key reference for many people. It suggests that we hold off on using internet voting for important public elections until we tackle some pretty big risks. You should totally check it out! It's definitely worth your time. (nap.nationalacademies.org).

In Europe, the Council of Europe has put out Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)5, which is basically the only official standard for e-voting that governments have to follow. If you're doing business in the EU or EFTA, it’s super important to keep an eye on their rules about privacy, auditing, and making sure everything is verifiable. It's better to be safe than sorry, right? (coe.int).

So, what does this mean for you? Hey there! If you're working in the public sector in the U.S., When it comes to deployments, it's a good idea to avoid using electronic ballot returns. Instead, try to concentrate on systems that you can fully verify from start to finish and that have solid paper trails backing them up. If you're thinking about trying out some experiments, maybe start by running a few small pilot programs with specific groups, like voters living overseas or those involved in internal governance. Just make sure to put some solid safeguards in place to keep everything secure. If you're in the private sector and working with cooperatives, associations, or DAOs, you've got a little more flexibility in what you can do. In situations like this, using advanced cryptography combined with blockchain anchoring can seriously enhance trust in the voting process.

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What blockchain can and cannot fix in voting (with hard evidence)

Where Blockchain Shines:

• Tamper-proof Public Bulletin Boards and Audit Trails: Imagine this as a secure way to connect hashes or commitments for ballots, proofs, and logs to a super-reliable ledger that everyone can keep an eye on. This really makes it tough for anyone to tamper with the data.
• Decentralized Trust for Publishing Valid Tallies and Proofs: So, this really focuses on having solid timestamping, which is super exciting with all the new developments happening on Ethereum after EIP-4844. By using "blobs" for rollups, it's made things a lot cheaper for Layer 2 (L2) solutions. If you want to learn more about it, feel free to check it out here. It's definitely worth a look!
• Making Data Easy to Verify on a Large Scale: We can take advantage of that blob space by posting our commitments and proofs to Layer 2 (L2), and then settle everything back on Layer 1 (L1) later. This way, we make sure that everything is not only verifiable but also super easy to access. If you want to dive deeper into the details, just click here. Happy reading!

Where Blockchain Doesn't Quite Cut It

So, imagine if a client or device gets hacked, or if there's some sneaky stuff happening at the network level that starts revealing people's identities. And it gets even scarier--what if a server gets hijacked while people are actually casting their votes? These kinds of attacks aren’t just theoretical; they've been seen in different trials for mobile and online voting, like the review of Voatz, which has highlighted some serious concerns. In situations like these, the cool thing about blockchain is that it keeps everything locked in, but that also means it can end up holding onto votes that have been messed with. (usenix.org).

• And let’s not forget about the problem of misconfigured cryptography. Let’s take the Moscow voting pilots in Russia as a case in point. They had some pretty significant cryptographic issues that made it possible for votes to be decrypted or even for encryption keys to be recovered. That's definitely not ideal! So, here's the deal: Blockchain totally didn’t come to the rescue for any of that. (cnrs.fr).

Where the Field is Getting Better

Switzerland has reintroduced e-voting, but it's only happening on a small scale for now. What’s really awesome about this is that it’s got universal verifiability and the code is open-source. Plus, they actually provide paid intrusion tests and bug bounties, which is pretty neat! They've had to deal with thousands of attacks, but somehow, their ballot boxes have stayed safe and sound. While that doesn’t mean you’ll be safe everywhere, it definitely highlights a kind of disciplined approach that’s worth taking notes on. (post.ch).

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The 7Block Labs stance

We build voting systems you can really count on, and while blockchain is a key piece of the puzzle, it's just one part of a bigger, super secure framework we have in place. When it comes to public elections, we stick to the important guidelines, like the VVSG 2. I'm on it! I've got the scope and the CISA risk memo ready to go, and I'll make sure everything goes off without a hitch. For businesses, DAOs, and organizations, we're all about ensuring top-notch verification and privacy every step of the way. We harness the latest tech while keeping a nice balance with decentralization.

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Architectures we actually recommend (and implement)

1. E2E-Verifiable, Paper-Backed In-Person Voting (Public Sector, U.S.)

So, let’s talk about end-to-end verifiable, paper-backed in-person voting in the public sector here in the U.S. It’s all about ensuring that when you cast your vote, you can trust the whole process from start to finish. This means that not only do you get a paper ballot, but there are also solid systems in place that let you confirm your vote was counted accurately. It's designed to boost confidence in our elections and make sure every voice is heard loud and clear. ).

• Pattern: So, this system sticks with the classic paper ballots but adds a cool twist to it--imagine something like Prêt à Voter or the Scantegrity-style receipts. Pretty neat, right? It also includes mixnets or homomorphic tallying, along with a public bulletin board connected to a permissionless chain for all those crucial proofs and logs.
• Why: This method aligns perfectly with the VVSG certification route, ensuring we’ve got strong public verifiability and solid audit trails in place. If you're looking for more info, head over to nist.gov and check it out!

2) Remote Voting for Private/Enterprise Elections with ZK Privacy and Anti-Coercion

So, here's the deal: we're diving into this cool stuff like anonymous eligibility proofs and single-use nullifiers using zkSNARKs. Oh, and don't forget about threshold homomorphic encryption, which is great for keeping the tally under wraps. Pretty neat, right? Oh, and let’s not forget about coordinator rotation and Distributed Key Generation (DKG) when it comes to the key ceremony! Oh, and don't overlook the L2 data availability with Ethereum blob anchoring thanks to EIP-4844! It's a great way to keep those costs down. (docs.vocdoni.io).

• Why: This setup allows you to stay anonymous without needing receipts, allows anyone to verify things easily, and it can grow seamlessly without running into issues with central trust.

3) DAO and Token-Holder Governance with Anti-Collusion Protections

• Pattern: So, let's dive into MACI, which stands for Minimal Anti-Collusion Infrastructure. It's all about making on-chain voting super secure and keeping things private. It really smartly syncs off-chain proofs with on-chain settlements. And if you're looking to take things up a notch, you can even add in zk-census proofs or use commit-reveal with late encryption. Feel free to take a look at it here!
• Why: This approach really shows its worth, especially when it comes to grants and quadratic funding situations. This is perfect for on-chain communities that want to maintain their privacy and protect themselves from bribery, all without breaking the bank.

4) Audit-First “Bulletin Board Only” for Public Pilots

• Pattern: Make sure to keep the vote capture offline. Instead, why not put out hashes, tallies, and verification artifacts on a tamper-evident ledger? Plus, using mirrored storage means that everyone can see the whole process unfold. It’s all about keeping things transparent! You can totally use KSI-style hash calendars or go for L1/L2 anchoring for this! Take a look at this link: interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu. It's pretty interesting!
• Why: This method helps keep things transparent without getting into the nitty-gritty of electronic ballot returns.

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Concrete cryptographic building blocks we use (and why)

• Threshold Homomorphic Encryption (like ElGamal or Paillier): This cool tech allows you to combine encrypted votes, and you only need to decrypt the final totals when a specific number of trustees are in the mix. It's a clever way to keep things secure while still getting the results you need! It ensures that no one individual can snoop on the in-between results or mess with the final outcome. Check it out here.
• Re-encrypting Mixnets with ZK proofs: Basically, this technique helps keep voters and their ballots separate, while still ensuring that everything's been shuffled correctly. Swiss projects really focus on making sure that anyone can check the proofs for themselves, and they truly value the importance of open code reviews. Read more here.
• Zero-Knowledge Eligibility and Nullifiers: Thanks to zk-census proofs, we can confirm that there's exactly "one eligible voter and one counted vote" without revealing anyone's identity. How cool is that? Plus, nullifiers are great because they help stop double voting, and they do it all while keeping everyone’s choices private. If you want to explore more about this, just click here to dive in!
• Coordinator/DKG: This method shares the decryption tasks among various trustees, which helps to lighten the load and distribute the work more evenly. We also switch up the coordinators from time to time and make sure to hold secure multi-party computation (MPC) ceremonies. Each of these ceremonies comes with public transcripts and audit trails, so everything stays transparent.
• Anti-Collusion Protocols (MACI): This protocol is all about fighting off bribery and coercion. It creates a bit of a challenge when it comes to proving how someone voted, but it still ensures that the final counts are both accurate and verifiable. Neat, right? Take a look at the details right here!
• Anchor and Data Availability: When we publish our commitments, Merkle roots, and proof artifacts to solid data availability layers--think Ethereum L2 blobs--we can really nail down our stuff on L1. This way, we can timestamp everything and make it visible to the whole world. Find more info here.

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Lessons from real systems (what to emulate and what to avoid)

Hey there! So, when it comes to mobile and internet voting apps, it’s super important that they have solid, transparent cryptographic designs. And honestly, they should definitely be open source as well. Without it, they usually crumble when someone takes a closer look. Hey, have you looked at the analyses from MIT and Trail of Bits about Voatz? They found some pretty alarming vulnerabilities that could allow folks to mess with votes or access private info, even if there’s a blockchain in the mix. It’s definitely worth a read! Just a heads up, blockchain isn't a magic solution for problems that pop up on the client or server side. (usenix.org).

The pilots in Moscow really proved that when crypto is shaky or misused, privacy and integrity just take a nosedive, no matter how high-tech the ledger looks. Researchers were able to dig up the keys, crack the codes on the votes, and even figure out who cast their ballots for whom. Here's the key takeaway: it’s super important to invest in formal crypto reviews before launching any pilot projects. (cnrs.fr).

Switzerland is really making strides with its e-voting approach! They're all about universal verifiability and keeping things transparent when it comes to sources. Plus, they regularly conduct public intrusion tests, and guess what? There are some nice rewards for those who participate!
This method really highlights that it's the ability to verify things, not just some flashy “blockchain branding,” that actually earns people’s trust. (post.ch).

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Emerging best practices we implement by default

We really should take a closer look at the risks involved in allowing people to return their ballots online, especially with the guidelines set by CISA, EAC, and NIST in mind. When it comes to online ballot returns, it's super important that we get a sign-off from an independent panel on the threat model. We need to make sure everything's secure! And hey, don't forget to keep a paper or offline backup as a backup plan! If you want to dive deeper into this, you can find more info here.

How about we make the crypto and tally parts open-source? That could really open things up! Before we dive into production, it’s really crucial to have some independent cryptographers review the proofs and make sure the protocols are rock-solid. Getting that extra set of eyes on things can make a huge difference!

• Let’s not just stick to those one-time penetration tests. Ongoing red-teaming and open bug bounties are key to keeping everything secure! Plus, sharing cleaned-up post-mortem reports and fix logs would be a great idea too. Let’s make it happen! Check out the Swiss Post’s strategy! They’re offering cash rewards that can go as high as CHF 250k, which is pretty impressive. This could definitely be a solid model to think about. Check out their strategy over here. It's pretty interesting!
• Set up ZK circuits using public ceremonies. It’s really important for us to keep track of how we manage toxic waste. Plus, we need to make sure our builds are reliable and that we have solid proof verification processes that we can reproduce. Check out this link for more details! You’ll find some great info there.

Let's plan to hold DKG key ceremonies with a mix of trustees from different backgrounds. We should definitely consider live-streaming these or at least logging them for everyone to see. Plus, it's super important that we have solid proof that can't be changed, so anchoring everything on the blockchain would be a smart move.

Whenever we can, let’s really go for it with formal verification on state machines and tally circuits! Let’s definitely incorporate static analysis and property testing for our crypto code. It’s a smart move!

• When it comes to data storage, think about using L2 blobs for availability. After the election wraps up, you might want to archive everything to L1, IPFS, or S3 Glacier. It's super important to share logs and proofs that are tied to specific content. This way, everyone can check the tallies for themselves! If you want to dive a bit deeper into this topic, just check it out here. Happy reading!

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A pilot we’ll stand behind: what it looks like in practice

Scenario

Picture this: we’ve got a professional association with a whopping 75,000 members, and guess what? They're all getting ready for some exciting leadership elections! They're going to hold these elections with secret ballots, so your vote will be kept totally private!

But wait, there’s more! They're not just stopping at that. To keep everything above board, they're really putting an emphasis on verifiability. This way, you can count on the fact that the whole process is transparent and totally trustworthy.

On top of that, they've got safeguards to make sure there’s no coercion happening--nobody wants anyone feeling like they have to vote a specific way. What's really cool is that they’re all about public auditability. This means anyone can dive in and take a good look at the election process if they want to. It's a great way to keep everything transparent!

All of this really helps make sure that the association’s leaders are genuinely in tune with what the members want!

• Identity and eligibility: Alright, let’s get started! We’re going to use the association’s KYC/HRMS system to distribute some one-time anonymous voting credentials. We'll get those zk-census keys ready and make sure to share the Merkle root before voting kicks off.
• Casting and privacy: Alright, let me break it down for you: the client kicks things off by creating a zk proof to demonstrate they're eligible. Then, they toss in a nullifier for good measure. Next, they go ahead and encrypt their vote using a threshold public key, which could be something like ElGamal or Paillier. After that, they send it off to the sequencer. To make sure everything's fair, we're going to use a nullifier to stop double voting. This way, we can keep your personal info safe and won’t have to store it on the chain.
• Tally: After the voting is done, the trustees will conduct a verifiable mixnet or homomorphic tally to ensure everything is accurate. They'll create ZK proofs that show the results really match the inputs, and then they'll do a threshold decryption to get the final count.
• Transparency: We’re all about being open here! So, we’re going to share our commitments, proofs, Merkle roots, and the final tallies on an L2 using blobs. These blobs are just temporary data, and they won’t cost much. Oh, and just a heads up, everything's going to be settled on Ethereum L1 for timestamping. Plus, we'll make sure all the artifacts are safely backed up on IPFS and in cold storage. (coindesk.com).
• Audit: What's really awesome is that any member can jump in and check for themselves if everything's included, make sure we’re not counting anything twice, and even verify the tally proof checks!

Expected Performance Envelope (Recent Client Hardware, Modest Bandwidth)

• Proof Generation per Voter: It typically takes just a few seconds to a bit longer--like up to ten seconds--depending on how complicated the ballot is. We adjust the circuits to match what’s needed, so it all runs smoothly!
• End-to-End Vote Latency: We’re aiming for under 5 seconds for acceptance when everything's running smoothly in standard L2 conditions. Usually, it wraps up in just a few seconds when the L1 settlement batch closes.

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What 7Block Labs actually delivers

1) Strategy and Risk Workshop (2-3 weeks)

First off, make sure your use case lines up with the right regulatory standards. For example, you might want to take a good look at the VVSG scope if you're in the U.S. It’s all about staying compliant! and the Center of Excellence standards in the EU. Let’s jump into threat modeling! You’ll definitely want to check out techniques like STRIDE and LINDDUN. And while you're at it, don’t overlook coercion analysis--it's super important! Oh, and make sure to think about the cryptographic requirements you might need too. It's all about covering your bases!

• Let’s bring everything together in a decision memo. The key thing you need to address is whether to go ahead with "internet return" or not. Make sure to support your choice with insights from CISA, EAC, and NIST. If you want to dive deeper into the details, just click here. Happy exploring!

2) Reference Architecture and Protocol Selection (4-6 weeks)

• Figure out the best method to use: should we go for a homomorphic tally combined with a mixnet, zk-census proof stacks, or maybe take the MACI-style route for tackling collusion in DAOs? First off, you’ll want to decide which ledger fits your cost model better. Are you leaning towards a permissioned anchor or a public one? It's a pretty important choice! And don’t forget to think about the predictions for L2 blob usage while you're at it. That could really influence your decision! If you want to dive deeper, take a look at this article: theblock.co. It’s packed with useful info!

3) Build and Security Engineering (8-16 Weeks)

• Begin working on setting up the circuits, nullifier sets, sequencer/coordinator, and trustee tools.
• Keep your eye on formal verification goals, like making sure builds are consistent and that proof verification can be easily repeated.

4) Open Review and Attack Surface Hardening (4-8 weeks)

• Let's bring in an outside cryptographer to take a look at our systems.
• Create a bounty program that motivates people to share any security issues responsibly.
• Put together a public intrusion testing playbook that draws inspiration from Swiss methods. (post.ch).

5) Pilot execution and live audit pack (2-4 weeks)

Let’s start things off with the DKG ceremony!

• We’re putting pre-election parameters straight onto the blockchain.
• Creating live monitoring dashboards. To tie everything together, we’re putting together a post-election audit report that includes machine-checkable proofs to back everything up.

6) Operations Handover

Let's ensure we have everything in order--runbooks, key rotation policies, incident playbooks, and all the compliance documents we need for the counsel and board. It’s important we have these ready to go!

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KPIs you should demand from any vendor (and we commit to)

• Cryptographic coverage: This refers to the extent to which our protocol claims are supported by proofs that a machine can verify. We're shooting for a flawless score: 100% on all the essential steps we need to take.
• Transparency: Once everything wraps up, we’ll be jumping into action right away. Our goal is to have all the complete artifacts ready to go--like parameters, proofs, and roots--within 60 minutes for medium ballots.
• Cost per vote: When you really look at it, thanks to our infrastructure and on-chain anchoring, we can actually bring the cost down to under zero dollars. Pretty impressive, right? It's super important to consider the cost per proof artifact, especially when you're working with blobs on a larger scale. Give this a look with your favorite L2! (theblock.co).
• Red-team robustness: We're actively monitoring how our bounty program is doing and checking in on the service-level agreements for how quickly we’re getting fixes sorted out. Oh, and just so you know, we keep a public log of all the fixes we make.
• Independent re-verification rate: We're checking out how many ballots and tallies are being double-checked by outside groups after the elections. It's all about making sure everything's on the up and up! We're all about making sure that there's some real, measurable involvement from the outside world.

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Common traps--and how we help you avoid them

"Blockchain is gonna make everything super secure." "Yeah, but that won’t matter if your client, server, crypto, and operations aren’t on point." Check out the Voatz analyses; you'll see that attackers usually strike and score their victories long before anything even hits the ledger. We start with strong cryptography and clear code. Picture the blockchain like a witness rather than a security guard--it’s there to keep things honest, not just keep things locked up. (usenix.org).

• Opaque protocols. If auditors can't verify your proof of universal verifiability on their own, then, to be real, that means you're not actually verifiable. Looking back at what went down in Switzerland in 2019, it's clear that having open code and inviting public scrutiny isn't just a nice bonus--it's absolutely essential. (bk.admin.ch). So, when it comes to internet ballot returns for public elections, there are some serious concerns. CISA, EAC, and NIST are still calling it a high-risk situation. It’s definitely something to keep in mind! We're not ready to move forward with this just yet. We need to have those additional controls set up first, and we also need to get the thumbs up from all the stakeholders regarding the risk involved. (cisa.gov).

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When blockchain is strictly optional

Sometimes, you just need a reliable end-to-end bulletin board that has authenticated logs you can only add to and some scheduled external anchoring. Imagine going for daily L1 hash commits or even something like KSI-style hash calendars. It’s all about keeping things secure and organized! If this setup gives you the dependable performance you need without emptying your wallet or increasing your risk too much, we're all for it! If you want to dig into more details, feel free to check it out here.

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Why 7Block Labs

We create stuff based on the established standards like the VVSG scope and CoE Rec(2017)5, and we make sure to follow the most up-to-date and clear guidance from CISA, EAC, and NIST. Take a look at this link: (eac.gov). It's got some interesting info!

We're focused on mixing top-notch academic cryptography with real-world Layer 2 economics following EIP-4844. Our goal? To make verification scalable while keeping costs manageable! If you're looking for more info, check it out over here: coindesk.com. It's got all the details you need!

We really value transparency, so we make it a point to have open reviews and bug bounties. We're taking inspiration from actual real-world examples that demonstrate verifiability in action. If you're curious to learn more about this, check it out here: post.ch.

If you're looking to set up a secure voting system--be it for a public entity, a business, or even a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO)--let’s team up and design a pilot program that not only checks the boxes for cryptographers and auditors but also earns the trust of the voters. I'm excited to see how we can make this work together! We're going to dive into how blockchain really has the potential to shake things up, where it might hit a few bumps in the road, and in the end, we’ll aim to create a system that can stand the test of time and keep everyone’s trust intact.