Secured Blockchain-Based Voting System Using ZKP, IPFS

Abstract

In modern democracies, secure and transparent voting mechanisms are critical for ensuring public trust and electoral integrity. Traditional voting systems often face challenges such as tampering, identity fraud, and lack of transparency. This paper proposes a Blockchain-Based Voting System designed to address these issues by integrating advanced technologies including Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP), InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), and the Polygon Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain. The system incorporates Aadhaar-based identity verification with OTP authentication to ensure that only eligible citizens can vote, while preserving voter anonymity through the implementation of ZKP. All sensitive data, including votes and candidate information, are recorded on the decentralized Polygon network, ensuring immutability and transparency. IPFS is employed for storing large files such as candidate profiles and voting records in a secure and distributed manner. Smart contracts automate the core election functions such as vote casting, validation, and result declaration, thereby minimizing the risk of human error and manipulation. A modular user interface is provided for both voters and election administrators, facilitating real-time monitoring, seamless authentication, and secure participation. By leveraging blockchain’s trustless architecture and privacy-preserving cryptographic protocols, the proposed system aims to modernize the electoral process, enhance voter confidence, and strengthen democratic institutions in the digital age.The architecture ensures end-to-end verifiability, making each vote independently auditable without compromising confidentiality. This integration of privacy, security, and scalability offers a robust foundation for next-generation electoral systems.

Introduction

Traditional voting systems in democracies face challenges like voter fraud, result tampering, lack of transparency, and limited accessibility, undermining public trust. Recent advances in blockchain, cryptography, and decentralized storage offer new solutions to these issues by enabling secure, transparent, and tamper-proof digital elections.

This paper presents a Blockchain-Based Voting System that uses Aadhaar-linked OTP for voter authentication, Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) for privacy, the Polygon Proof-of-Stake blockchain for secure transaction management, and IPFS for decentralized storage of non-transactional election data. The system reduces human intervention, prevents fraud, and provides real-time monitoring for election administrators.

The methodology involves a modular architecture with three layers: a web-based frontend, smart contract backend on Polygon, and IPFS for distributed data storage. Voters authenticate via Aadhaar OTP and use ZKP to maintain anonymity. Votes are encrypted and immutably recorded on the blockchain, with smart contracts enforcing one vote per person. The admin dashboard allows live election monitoring and management, with all admin actions logged on-chain.

Testing confirmed secure, accurate voter authentication, tamper-proof vote recording, transparent real-time tallying, and scalable, low-cost operation via Polygon. The system addresses key limitations of traditional and earlier digital voting platforms by combining decentralized storage, privacy-preserving cryptography, and blockchain scalability.

Future enhancements include biometric voter verification, mobile app development, multilingual support, offline voting capability, integration with government databases, and optimization of ZKP for large-scale elections—ensuring the platform remains secure, accessible, and scalable for real-world use.

Conclusion

The Blockchain-Based Voting System presented in this paper demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating decentralized technologies, cryptographic privacy, and Aadhaar-based authentication to modernize and secure the electoral process. Unlike traditional voting systems, this architecture ensures end-to-end transparency, immutability, and privacy through the use of Polygon PoS blockchain, Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP), and IPFS-based decentralized storage. It enables secure voter onboarding via OTP verification, verifiable and anonymous vote casting, and real-time result computation through smart contracts. System evaluation showed high accuracy in vote handling, resistance to tampering, and seamless user interaction, indicating strong potential for scalability and public adoption. The modular architecture supports adaptability to both institutional and large-scale government elections, while cryptographic components preserve voter anonymity and data integrity. By eliminating manual intervention and central points of failure, the system enhances electoral trust, reduces fraud, and empowers democratic participation in the digital era. This work affirms blockchain’s role in transforming voting infrastructure and lays the groundwork for future innovations in secure, transparent, and inclusive digital governance.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Mohamed Javid M, Manikandan V, Mohamed Ashik S, Mohammed Shameem M, Ravichandran R. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.