Re: electronic voting

17 Dec 2003

      "Vladimir Z. Nuri" <vznuri@netcom.com> writes:
...
[voting techniques]
...
A few days ago I posted the following article to Usenet. It may be of interest.

Subject: Implementing Dr. Grubor's proposals for overhauling Usenet votes
Message-ID: <PmZiqD58w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 96 00:57:36 EDT

Recently, Dr. John M. Grubor proposed several improvements to the Usenet vote
procedure. I've implemented Dr. Gurbor's proposals in C, with the objective to
make this code easy to add to L.Ron Dippold's (spit) vote-counting software.

I remind evertone the outline of Dr. Grubor's proposal:

1. The CFV will no longer contain the ballot. Instead it will instruct the
voter to send an e-mail to a GruborBot and request an individualized ballot.
Therefore, there can be no objection to resposting such CFV's.

[To request a ballot for 'ngv', a prospective voter@uhost might
e-mail ngv-ballot@uvv.org (content ignored) or e-mail votebot@uvv.bot
and say 'send ngv-ballot' - either way is easy with procmail]

2. When asked for a ballot, the GruborBot will generate an individualized
one by running a modified version of uvballot. The individualized ballot
e-mailed to voter@uhost will differ in the following ways from the
existing ballot:

 a) it will contain a ballot number.
 b) it will contain a copy of the CFV.
 c) it will contain a random challenge.

The triple (voter@uhost,ballot number,correct response) will be recorded.

[note that the ballot number and the challenge are not redundant ]

[the patches for uvballot are posted below. The patches assume that the CFV is
in the file ./cfvtext, the precomputed challenges are in ./chaldata, and
the outgoing ballots are recorded in ./balrost, but it's easy to change.]

3. The voter is likely to have look at the CFV in order to answer the
random challenge. Also s/he must have a reachable e-mail address.

4. Upon receipt of the ballot from voter@uhost, the modified version of uvvote
will verify the following, in addition to the checks already there:

 a) was a ballot with this number number e-mailed to voter@uhost?
 b) is this the correct response to the challenge given in the
  ballot with this ballot number?

It's possible for a user to request several ballots; all of them should be
acceptable, but only the latest one should be counted, just like now.

Thank you again, Dr. Grubor, for providing guidance for Usenet's growth.

[While at it, someone should change UseVote 3.0 to use ANSI prototypes]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

/*

prepchal.c

This program reads the file named ./cfvtext and writes ./chaldata.
It generates "challenges" for voters, which mkballot uses.

*/

#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

#define MSG(x) fprintf( stderr, x )

/* it's safe to assume that no line in CFV is longer than 80 chars - see USEVOTE*/
#define MAX_CHAL_LINE_BUFFER 80

/* we don't want to use lines with more than this many words */
#define MAX_CHAL_WORDS_PER_LINE 20

/* using fewer words makes lines hard to find */

#define MIN_CHAL_WORDS_PER_LINE 5

/* maximum and minimum length of words for challenge - not too much
typing, nor too easy to guess */
#define MAX_CHAL_WORD_LEN 14
#define MIN_CHAL_WORD_LEN 4

/* maximum challenges, really should have been dynamic */
#define MAX_CHALS 6000

typedef struct {
char * word;
char * line;
char flag;
} chal;

chal this;
chal chals[MAX_CHALS];
int num_chals;

char line_buffer[MAX_CHAL_LINE_BUFFER];
int line_buffer_length;
char word_begin[MAX_CHAL_WORDS_PER_LINE];
char word_length[MAX_CHAL_WORDS_PER_LINE];

/* these words are often too easy to guess - may be sorted if expanded */
char *easy_words[]={
"about","aren","because","could","couldn","didn","does","doesn","else",
"hadn","hasn","have","just","like","must","mustn","only","shouldn","since",
"some","such","than","that","their","them","then","there","these","they",
"this","those","wasn","what","when","where","which","whose","will","with",
"would","wouldn","your"
};

#define NUM_EASY_WORDS (sizeof(easy_words)/sizeof(easy_words[0]))

int find_words(void);
int add_chal(int word_begin,int word_length);
int save_chals(void);
int generate_chals(void);

FILE *infile,*outfile;

int main(void)
{

if (NULL==(infile=fopen("cfvtext","r")))
 {
 perror("fopen cfvtext");
 return(1);
 }

if (NULL==(outfile=fopen("chaldata","w")))
 {
 perror("fopen chaldata");
 return(1);
 }

generate_chals();

if (num_chals==0)
 {
 MSG("No challenged generated\n");
 return(1);
 }

save_chals();

fclose(infile);
fclose(outfile);

return(0);
}

/* return the number of words in buffer, and save their beginnings and lengths */
int find_words(void)
{
int in_word,i,num_words;

num_words=0;
i=0;
in_word=0;
for(;;)
 {
 if (isalpha(line_buffer[i]))
  {
  if (!in_word)
   {
   if (num_words>=MAX_CHAL_WORDS_PER_LINE)
    return(0); /* this line is too complex for the challenge */
   word_begin[num_words]=i;
   word_length[num_words]=1;
   in_word=1;
   }
  else /* in_word */
   if ((word_length[num_words]++)>=MAX_CHAL_WORD_LEN)
    in_word=0;
  }
 else /* !isalpha */
  {
  if (in_word)
   {
   in_word=0;
   if (word_length[num_words]>=MIN_CHAL_WORD_LEN)
    num_words++;
   }
  if (line_buffer[i]=='\0')
   break;
  }
 i++;
 }
return (num_words>MIN_CHAL_WORDS_PER_LINE ? num_words : 0);
}

/* add the challenge to the data structure, verifying that it's not redundant */

int add_chal(int word_begin,int word_length)
{
int i;
int hi,lo,m,md;

this.word=this.line=NULL;

if (NULL==(this.word=(char*)malloc(word_length+1)))
 {
 MSG("malloc word failed - partial results\n");
 return(1);
 }

if (NULL==(this.line=(char*)malloc(line_buffer_length+1)))
 {
 free(this.word);
 MSG("malloc line failed - partial results\n");
 return(1);
 }

/* copy the word, translating to lowercase */
for (i=0; i<word_length; i++)
 this.word[i]=(line_buffer[word_begin+i]>='A'&&line_buffer[word_begin+i]<='Z')?
  line_buffer[word_begin+i]+('z'-'Z'):line_buffer[word_begin+i];
this.word[word_length]=0;

/* copy the line, replacing the word by underscores */
memcpy(this.line,line_buffer,line_buffer_length+1);
memset(this.line+word_begin,'_',word_length);

/* binary search: see if the word is too easy */

this.flag=2;
lo=0;
hi=NUM_EASY_WORDS-1;

while (this.flag==2)
{
if (hi<lo) /* not found */
 this.flag=0;
/* continue searching */
md=(hi+lo)/2;
m=strcmp(this.word,easy_words[md]);
if (m==0)
 this.flag=1; /* don't use, but continue checking for ambiguities */
else if (m<0)
 hi=md-1;
else
 lo=md+1;
}

/* binary search: see if this challenge is ambiguous */

lo=0;
hi=num_chals-1;

for(;;)
{
if (hi<lo) /* not found */
 {
 if (num_chals>=MAX_CHALS)
  {
  MSG("MAX_CHALS exceeded - partial results\n");
  free(this.word);
  free(this.line);
  return(1);
  }
 /* insert */
 for (i=num_chals; i>lo; i--)
  chals[i]=chals[i-1];
 chals[lo]=this;
 num_chals++;
 return(0);
 }
/* continue searching */
md=(hi+lo)/2;
m=strcmp(this.line,chals[md].line);
if (m==0)
 { /* found - don't insert */
 if (0!=strcmp(this.word,chals[md].word))
  chals[md].flag=1; /* ambiguous */
 free(this.word);
 free(this.line);
 return(0);
 }
else if (m<0)
 hi=md-1;
else
 lo=md+1;
}

}

int save_chals(void)
{
int i,j;

/* write the adjusted number of challenges */
j=num_chals;
for (i=0; i<num_chals; i++)
 if (chals[i].flag)
  j--;

fprintf(outfile,"%d\n",j);

for (i=0; i<num_chals; i++)
 {
 if (!chals[i].flag)
  fprintf(outfile,"%s,%s\n",chals[i].word,chals[i].line);
 free(chals[i].word);
 free(chals[i].line);
 }

return(0);
}

/* process the CFV line by line */

int generate_chals(void)
{
int i,j;

num_chals=0;
while (NULL!=fgets(line_buffer,MAX_CHAL_LINE_BUFFER,infile))
 {
 line_buffer_length=strlen(line_buffer);
 if (line_buffer[line_buffer_length-1]=='\n') /* drop trailing lf */
  line_buffer[--line_buffer_length]=0;
 i=find_words();
 for (j=0; j<i; j++)
  if (0!=add_chal(word_begin[j],word_length[j]))
   return(0); /* graceful exit if malloc fails */
 }
return(0);
}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

patches for uvballot (which needs to be run anew every time a ballot is
requested):

/* we pretend that when user@host e-mails ng-ballot-request@uvv.org,
this program is invokes with user@host in argv[1]. This code should
be added to uvballot.c, but each voter should get an individualized
ballot */

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <string.h>

#define MSG(x) fprintf( stderr, x )

FILE *cfvfile,*chalfile,*balfile;

int main(int argc,char *argv[])
{
char ballot_number[20];
int num_chals,num_skip,c;
char word[11],line[81];
char *addr=argv[1];

if (argc!=2)
 {
 MSG("argv[1] should be user@host\n");
 return(1);
 }

/* randomize seed */
 srand((unsigned)time(NULL));

/* open files */
if (NULL==(cfvfile=fopen("cfvtext","r")))
 {
 perror("fopen cfvtext");
 return(1);
 }

if (NULL==(chalfile=fopen("chaldata","r")))
 {
 perror("fopen chaldata");
 return(1);
 }

if (NULL==(balfile=fopen("balrost","a")))
 {
 perror("fopen balrost");
 return(1);
 }

/* generate ballot number */
sprintf(ballot_number,"%d%d%d",rand(),rand(),rand());

/* pick a random challenge number */
fscanf(chalfile,"%d\n",&num_chals);
num_skip=rand()%(num_chals-1);

/* skip lines */
while(num_skip)
 if ('\n'==fgetc(chalfile))
  num_skip--;

fscanf(chalfile,"%[^,],%[^\n]\n",word,line);

fclose(chalfile);

/* remember the combination of user@host,ballot_number,word */

fprintf(balfile,"%s,%s,%s\n",
addr,ballot_number,word);

fclose(balfile);

/* generate the individualized ballot - this needs to be there in
addition to the code already in uvballot */

printf("\n\
This ballot is being e-mailed to: %s\n\
\n\
Ballot number: %s\n\
Missing word:\n\
\n\
The Call for Votes is attached after the ballot. Please read it carefully\n\
before voting. Then, find the line in the CFV that looks like this:\n\
%s\n\
and fill in the missing word in the ballot\n\
\n\n",addr,ballot_number,line);

/* copy the CFV */

while (EOF!=(c=fgetc(cfvfile)))
 fputc(c,stdout);

fclose(cfvfile);

return(0);
}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

patches for uvvote:

/*

functionality to be added to uvvote.c

*/

#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

#define MSG(x) fprintf( stderr, x )

char addr[80];
char ballot_number[80], word[80];

FILE *balfile;

/* return values:

0 - acceptable ballot
1 - no ballot ever e-mailed to this addr
2 - ballot(s) e-mailed to this addr, but no ballot_number matches
3 - wrong word in response to the challenge

*/

int ballot_check(void)
{
int rc;
char this_addr[80],this_ballot_number[80],this_word[80];

/* anything other than sequential search isn't worth it here */

rewind(balfile);
rc=1;
while (rc&&(3==fscanf(balfile,"%[^,],%[^,],%[^\n]\n",this_addr,this_ballot_number,this_word)))
 if (0==strcmp(addr,this_addr))
  {
  if (rc==1)
   rc=2;
  if (0==strcmp(ballot_number,this_ballot_number))
   {
   if (rc==2)
    rc=3;
   if (0==strcmp(word,this_word))
    rc=0;
   }
  }

return(rc);
}

/* test main */

int main(void)
{
int i;

if (NULL==(balfile=fopen("balrost","r")))
 {
 perror("fopen balrost");
 return(1);
 }

for(;;)
 {
 printf("(uvvote would get these from the ballot it's processing)\n\
Type . to end demo\n\
addr: ");
 gets(addr);
 if (0==strcmp(addr,".")) break;
 printf("ballot_number: ");
 gets(ballot_number);
 printf("missing word: ");
 gets(word);

 /* remember to map the word to lowercase. It may be worthwhile to
 lowercase addr too (both here and in new uvballot)  */
 for (i=0; word[i]; i++)
  if (word[i]>='A'&&word[i]<='Z')
   word[i]+='a'-'A';

 printf("ballot_check=%d\n",ballot_check());
 }

close(balfile);

return(0);
}

---

Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps

Re: electronic voting

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