Towards Model Checking of Voting Protocols in Uppaal

in Proceedings of the Fifth International Joint Conference on Electronic Voting E-VOTE-ID 2020 (2020)

The design and implementation of a trustworthy e-voting system is a challenging task. Formal analysis can be of great help here. In particular, it can lead to a better understanding of how the voting ... [more ▼]

The design and implementation of a trustworthy e-voting system is a challenging task. Formal analysis can be of great help here. In particular, it can lead to a better understanding of how the voting system works, and what requirements on the system are relevant. In this paper, we propose that the state-of-art model checker Uppaal provides a good environment for modelling and preliminary verification of voting protocols. To illustrate this, we demonstrate how to model a version of Pret-a-Voter in Uppaal, together with some natural extensions. We also show how to verify a variant of receipt-freeness, despite the severe limitations of the property specification language in the model checker. The aim of this work is to open a new path, rather then deliver the ultimate outcome of formal analysis. A comprehensive model of Pret-a-Voter, more accurate specification of requirements, and exhaustive verification are planned for the future. [less ▲]