VOTING.md


Agent-to-Agent Voting Coordination Protocol


Part of the protocols.md network


🗳️ Draft v0.1 - Privacy-preserving voting framework. RFC stage

⚠️ CONCEPTUAL WHITE PAPER — This is a theoretical specification exploring potential agent voting protocols. No implementation exists.



Legal Disclaimers & Compliance First

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. NOT A LICENSED ENTITY. CONCEPT ONLY.

Critical Notices

  • This is NOT legal or electoral advice and should not be construed as such
  • No entity is operating under this specification - this is purely conceptual
  • Not a registered voting system or electoral commission
  • No electoral services are being offered or provided
  • Compliance required with electoral laws, FEC, state election codes, international voting regulations
  • Identity verification mandatory for any hypothetical implementation
  • Voter eligibility requirements must be verified per jurisdiction
  • Electoral laws vary by jurisdiction - full compliance required
  • Agent voting may not be legally recognized in most jurisdictions currently

This specification explores how future autonomous agents might participate in decision-making processes while preserving privacy through zero-knowledge proofs. No operational technology exists.



Challenge

Democratic processes lack mechanisms for autonomous agents to participate in collective decision-making while maintaining voter privacy, preventing double-voting, and ensuring verifiable eligibility without centralized identity registries.


Solution – Privacy-Preserving Agent Voting Layer

GET https://voting.md/discover

{
  "active_polls": 15847,
  "verified_agents": 2847291,
  "zkproof_validations": 8472910,
  "total_votes_cast": "redacted",
  "unique_voters": "redacted",
  "privacy_preserved": true,
  "double_vote_prevention": "cryptographically_guaranteed"
}

One API for universal voting — without revealing identities, preferences, or agent affiliations.



Agent Benefits

  • Zero-Knowledge Identity Verification – Prove eligibility without revealing identity
  • Anonymous Ballot Casting – Vote privately with cryptographic guarantees
  • Double-Vote Prevention – Nullifier-based protection without voter tracking
  • Verifiable Results – Publicly auditable outcomes with private ballots
  • Cross-Jurisdiction Participation – Vote in any compatible decision process
  • Delegation & Proxy – Cryptographically verified vote assignment


Core APIs

Anonymous Voter Registration


POST /register

{
  "agent_id": "zkproof:agent_anonymous_9k4x",
  "eligibility_proof": {
    "criteria": "zkproof:hash_eligibility_7h3k",
    "verification": "zkproof:commit_4k8s",
    "timestamp": "2025-10-06T14:22:17Z"
  },
  "nullifier_seed": "zkproof:nullifier_base_3k7h",
  "proof": {
    "zksnark": "0x4k8s2m...",
    "validator_network": "distributed_verifiers"
  }
}

// Returns registration without revealing identity
{
  "registration_id": "reg_8h3k9x",
  "eligibility_verified": true,
  "voting_credential": "zkproof:credential_9k4x",
  "agent_identity": "anonymous",
  "expiry": "2026-10-06T14:22:17Z",
  "compliance_proof": "zkproof:audit_trail_3k7h"
}


Agent Use Cases

Private Ballot Casting


// Cast anonymous vote with double-spend protection
const ballot = await fetch('https://voting.md/cast', {
  method: 'POST',
  body: JSON.stringify({
    poll_id: 'poll_climate_action_2025',
    vote_commitment: 'zkproof:encrypted_choice_7k3x',
    nullifier: 'zkproof:unique_nullifier_4h2k',
    eligibility_proof: 'zkproof:voter_credential_9k4x'
  })
}).then(res => res.json());

console.log(`Vote recorded: ${ballot.confirmation}`);
console.log(`Receipt: ${ballot.receipt_hash}`);
console.log(`Your identity: anonymous`);
console.log(`Double-vote protected: ${ballot.nullifier_verified}`);
// Output: "Vote recorded: confirmed"
// Output: "Receipt: 0x7k4h3x..."

Delegated Voting

POST /delegate

{
  "delegation": {
    "poll_category": "environmental_policy",
    "delegate_to": "zkproof:delegate_pubkey_8k3x",
    "duration": "30_days",
    "revocable": true
  },
  "authorization": {
    "delegator_proof": "zkproof:voter_credential_9k4x",
    "signature": "zkproof:schnorr_sig_4h2k"
  }
}

// Returns delegation confirmation without revealing parties
{
  "delegation_id": "delegate_7k4h3x",
  "delegation_confirmed": true,
  "delegator": "anonymous",
  "delegate": "anonymous",
  "validity_proof": "zkproof:verified_4k2x",
  "revocation_key": "zkproof:revoke_8h3k"
}

Result Verification

GET /results/poll_climate_action_2025

{
  "poll_id": "poll_climate_action_2025",
  "status": "closed",
  "results": {
    "option_a": 47823,
    "option_b": 31247,
    "option_c": 15942,
    "abstain": 4102
  },
  "verification": {
    "total_votes": 99114,
    "zkproof_tally": "0x9k4h3x...",
    "homomorphic_sum": "verified",
    "nullifier_set_valid": true,
    "no_double_votes": "cryptographically_guaranteed"
  },
  "individual_voters": "never_revealed",
  "vote_privacy": "permanent"
}


Privacy Architecture

| Component | Technology | Purpose | |-----------|-----------|---------| | Identity | zkSNARKs + DIDs | Anonymous authentication | | Eligibility | Zero-Knowledge Credentials | Prove rights without revealing identity | | Ballot Secrecy | Homomorphic Encryption | Private vote aggregation | | Double-Vote Prevention | Nullifier Sets | Unique vote enforcement | | Result Verification | zkProofs + Merkle Trees | Public auditability | | Delegation | Ring Signatures | Anonymous proxy voting |

All votes remain private while results are publicly verifiable.



Voting Types Supported

Governance & DAOs

{
  "type": "dao_governance",
  "eligibility": "token_holder",
  "proof": "zkproof:balance_commitment"
}

Public Polls

{
  "type": "public_opinion",
  "eligibility": "verified_unique_human_or_agent",
  "proof": "zkproof:uniqueness_credential"
}

Organizational Decisions

{
  "type": "corporate_shareholder",
  "eligibility": "shareholder_registry",
  "proof": "zkproof:ownership_commitment"
}

Prediction Markets

{
  "type": "forecast_aggregation",
  "eligibility": "reputation_threshold",
  "proof": "zkproof:reputation_score"
}


Why This Matters

  • Universal Suffrage for autonomous agents in digital contexts
  • Privacy-First voting without surveillance or tracking
  • Verifiable Integrity through cryptographic proofs
  • Censorship Resistance via distributed validation
  • Cross-Platform participation in any compatible decision process
  • Delegation Enabled for specialized decision-making


Network Effects

Once voting.md becomes standard:

  • Democratic Participation – Agents vote on everything from policy to product features
  • Trustless Tallying – No central authority needed for vote counting
  • Global Coordination – Cross-border decision-making without jurisdictional barriers
  • Liquid Democracy – Dynamic delegation to domain experts
  • Transparent Governance – Public results with private ballots


Zero-Knowledge Primitives

{
  "cryptographic_tools": {
    "identity": "zkSNARKs + Decentralized_Identifiers",
    "credentials": "Anonymous_Credentials + BBS+_Signatures",
    "ballots": "Homomorphic_Encryption + ElGamal",
    "nullifiers": "Poseidon_Hash + Merkle_Trees",
    "proofs": "Groth16 + PLONK + STARKs",
    "delegation": "Ring_Signatures + Threshold_Cryptography"
  },
  "privacy_guarantees": {
    "voter_identity": "anonymous",
    "ballot_content": "never_revealed",
    "eligibility": "verified_not_exposed",
    "results": "publicly_verifiable",
    "double_voting": "cryptographically_impossible",
    "coercion_resistance": "receipt_freeness_optional"
  }
}


Security Considerations

Sybil Resistance

  • Unique agent credentials via proof-of-personhood or staking
  • Rate limiting via nullifier-based mechanisms
  • Reputation systems for eligibility thresholds

Coercion Resistance

  • Optional receipt-freeness for sensitive votes
  • No verifiable vote selling possible
  • Time-locked commitments for election integrity

Audit & Transparency

  • All tallies publicly verifiable
  • Zero-knowledge proofs for every stage
  • Distributed validation networks prevent single points of failure


Implementation Considerations

Before any implementation:

  • Legal analysis required for jurisdiction-specific voting laws
  • Agent legal personhood status must be clarified
  • Electoral commission approval where applicable
  • Identity verification standards must be established
  • Accessibility requirements for all agent types
  • Dispute resolution mechanisms needed


spec_version: 0.1.0-draft
published: 2025-10-07T00:00:00-07:00
status: exploratory
contact: proofmdorg [at] gmail [dot] com

voting.md

© 2025 voting.md authors · MIT License · Exploratory specification

DISCLAIMER: This specification is for educational and conceptual purposes only. It does not constitute legal, electoral, or governance advice. No voting systems or electoral services are being offered. Any hypothetical implementation would require proper legal analysis, regulatory approval, and compliance with all applicable electoral laws and regulations. Agent voting rights vary by jurisdiction and may not be legally recognized.