Online Voting

PerritoBites · 10-05-2009, 09:12 AM

I am looking for a website solution to a Voting/e-ballot platform. I can host it, or could be 3rd party hosted. Either way, I need the voting process to be as secure as possible, yet allowing votes anonymously (or other form of easy access).

The voting website will be used for a contest where the users will vote for the best candidate (out of 50) to represent our brand based on a picture and a short bio. It doesn't need to have the best security, but it shouldn't allow people to constantly vote for themselves just by clearing cookies or any kind of easy hack. We will have a post-vote election where the top 10 will pass through a jury system to determine the winner(s) in case something gets rigged with the votes.

Any one know a website that allows this kind of voting? I do have experience developing websites(Javascript, PHP, mysql, flash, css), so I could set one up myself if the proper tools are provided. I would prefer if there was a website that provided these services based on some user customization. I have looked around google and nothing looked promising.

Grooverider · 10-06-2009, 03:04 AM

Anonymous voting restriction can work on two things:

1. Cookies
2. IP address

Both these methods are very easy to work around in order to abuse the system.

PerritoBites · 10-06-2009, 12:23 PM

Since there is a final vote, I guess it can be left open to vote annonimously.

Either way, what can I use to restrict the votes using IP address and cookies? Is there some kind of pre-made tools that facilitates this process?

What about a pre-made voting system that can be edited to fit our needs? Anyone has any experience with these?

Mixtilplix · 10-06-2009, 01:08 PM

You need to set up some sort of server side application i.e. php, asp.net, cgi perl, etc along with a database(most likely mysql). You can search polling software - Google Search for premade polling applications. You should be able to configure the software to use cookies or ip addresses on whatever configuration page the application uses. Can't tell you specifics because every app is different.

PerritoBites · 10-07-2009, 07:37 AM

The polling scripts I find are simply for text options and don't provide everything I need. Any specific script you can point me to?

PerritoBites · 10-07-2009, 08:22 AM

What if I decide to go the Login route. Do something like Gizmodo does for their comments. You have to add your e-mail and then a confirmation will be sent to your inbox. Until you click on the confirmation link, your vote will not be count. Would that protect me from bots? With a captcha added somewhere...

So something like this..

Once you find the person you want to vote for, you click on the "vote" button. And a Div will pop up asking for an E-mail, name and captcha. Once they enter the information, another screen appears telling them to check their e-mail. The person logs into their e-mail and clicks the link to confirm the vote.

Now this won't prevent the user from voting multiple times with multiple e-mails.

Edit:
Use sessions as well to prevent the user from voting again until it closes the browser? O_o

Sooo...

Is there a script that would allow me to do this? I can create the voting interface myself with PHP and Mysql, but it is the security part that bothers me!

Mixtilplix · 10-07-2009, 01:10 PM

If you have experience with PHP shouldn't you know how to handle cookies and sessions? If not then just hire someone to code it for you or use a CMS. joomla, mambo, drupal, are all freeware. It's a bitch to customize but they all have voting plug ins.

PerritoBites · 10-07-2009, 03:40 PM

I know how to handle cookies and sessions, but not the e-mail confirmation part. That is the part that I am wondering if anyone has a script for. Probably something along the lines of....

Email sending script that will add email to database and send an e-mail with a confirmation link that will md5 the email address + some key. When they click on the link it would direct them to the page and the page would decipher the key and change the voting status of that e-mail.

Is that the correct way to do it? I could write that, but I rather use a script from someone that has experience with vulnerabilities.

Then again, I rather pay some company that already thought of people needing this kind of service and have a product ready for customization. I just can't find this company. I contacted the only one I could find through google and they said they would send me the options/prices and never did...

Today I began coding and made a mysql database and the PHP interface to add/remove information from it... but that is the part I have experience with... in a closed environment where you don't have to think about security.

PerritoBites · 10-08-2009, 11:02 AM

This survey seems to do what I want:

LimeSurvey.org - THE Survey software - free and open source!

Szlia · 10-08-2009, 06:24 PM

I think aiming for perfection is a little too much. What you can do though is aiming for something that is very difficult to automatize and that is cumbersome enough to discourage people from trying to cheat the system manually. The problem is that discouraging people to vote multiple times also discourages people to vote altogether. If you ask people for an e-mail, you just lost 90% of potential voters. If you ask them to vote by replying to an e-mail you send them, you just lost 50% of the guys who gave you an address...

10-05-2009, 09:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
PerritoBites （￣ー￣） Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PR, UY, ROC Posts: 2,508 -20 Internets	Online Voting I am looking for a website solution to a Voting/e-ballot platform. I can host it, or could be 3rd party hosted. Either way, I need the voting process to be as secure as possible, yet allowing votes anonymously (or other form of easy access). The voting website will be used for a contest where the users will vote for the best candidate (out of 50) to represent our brand based on a picture and a short bio. It doesn't need to have the best security, but it shouldn't allow people to constantly vote for themselves just by clearing cookies or any kind of easy hack. We will have a post-vote election where the top 10 will pass through a jury system to determine the winner(s) in case something gets rigged with the votes. Any one know a website that allows this kind of voting? I do have experience developing websites(Javascript, PHP, mysql, flash, css), so I could set one up myself if the proper tools are provided. I would prefer if there was a website that provided these services based on some user customization. I have looked around google and nothing looked promising.

10-06-2009, 01:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Mixtilplix Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 229 +1 Internets	You need to set up some sort of server side application i.e. php, asp.net, cgi perl, etc along with a database(most likely mysql). You can search polling software - Google Search for premade polling applications. You should be able to configure the software to use cookies or ip addresses on whatever configuration page the application uses. Can't tell you specifics because every app is different. Last edited by Mixtilplix; 10-06-2009 at 01:10 PM..

10-07-2009, 08:22 AM	#6 (permalink)
PerritoBites （￣ー￣） Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PR, UY, ROC Posts: 2,508 -20 Internets	What if I decide to go the Login route. Do something like Gizmodo does for their comments. You have to add your e-mail and then a confirmation will be sent to your inbox. Until you click on the confirmation link, your vote will not be count. Would that protect me from bots? With a captcha added somewhere... So something like this.. Once you find the person you want to vote for, you click on the "vote" button. And a Div will pop up asking for an E-mail, name and captcha. Once they enter the information, another screen appears telling them to check their e-mail. The person logs into their e-mail and clicks the link to confirm the vote. Now this won't prevent the user from voting multiple times with multiple e-mails. Edit: Use sessions as well to prevent the user from voting again until it closes the browser? O_o Sooo... Is there a script that would allow me to do this? I can create the voting interface myself with PHP and Mysql, but it is the security part that bothers me! Last edited by PerritoBites; 10-07-2009 at 08:32 AM..

10-08-2009, 06:24 PM	#10 (permalink)
Szlia Conquest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Switzerland Posts: 5,645 +25 Internets	I think aiming for perfection is a little too much. What you can do though is aiming for something that is very difficult to automatize and that is cumbersome enough to discourage people from trying to cheat the system manually. The problem is that discouraging people to vote multiple times also discourages people to vote altogether. If you ask people for an e-mail, you just lost 90% of potential voters. If you ask them to vote by replying to an e-mail you send them, you just lost 50% of the guys who gave you an address... __________________ -retrosabotage-

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10-06-2009, 03:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
Grooverider 1234567890 Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Svenborgia Posts: 1,299	Anonymous voting restriction can work on two things: 1. Cookies 2. IP address Both these methods are very easy to work around in order to abuse the system.

10-06-2009, 12:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
PerritoBites （￣ー￣） Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PR, UY, ROC Posts: 2,508 -20 Internets	Since there is a final vote, I guess it can be left open to vote annonimously. Either way, what can I use to restrict the votes using IP address and cookies? Is there some kind of pre-made tools that facilitates this process? What about a pre-made voting system that can be edited to fit our needs? Anyone has any experience with these?

10-07-2009, 07:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
PerritoBites （￣ー￣） Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PR, UY, ROC Posts: 2,508 -20 Internets	The polling scripts I find are simply for text options and don't provide everything I need. Any specific script you can point me to?

10-07-2009, 01:10 PM	#7 (permalink)
Mixtilplix Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 229 +1 Internets	If you have experience with PHP shouldn't you know how to handle cookies and sessions? If not then just hire someone to code it for you or use a CMS. joomla, mambo, drupal, are all freeware. It's a bitch to customize but they all have voting plug ins.

10-07-2009, 03:40 PM	#8 (permalink)
PerritoBites （￣ー￣） Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PR, UY, ROC Posts: 2,508 -20 Internets	I know how to handle cookies and sessions, but not the e-mail confirmation part. That is the part that I am wondering if anyone has a script for. Probably something along the lines of.... Email sending script that will add email to database and send an e-mail with a confirmation link that will md5 the email address + some key. When they click on the link it would direct them to the page and the page would decipher the key and change the voting status of that e-mail. Is that the correct way to do it? I could write that, but I rather use a script from someone that has experience with vulnerabilities. Then again, I rather pay some company that already thought of people needing this kind of service and have a product ready for customization. I just can't find this company. I contacted the only one I could find through google and they said they would send me the options/prices and never did... Today I began coding and made a mysql database and the PHP interface to add/remove information from it... but that is the part I have experience with... in a closed environment where you don't have to think about security.

10-08-2009, 11:02 AM	#9 (permalink)
PerritoBites （￣ー￣） Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PR, UY, ROC Posts: 2,508 -20 Internets	This survey seems to do what I want: LimeSurvey.org - THE Survey software - free and open source!