A hybrid cryptographic blockchain framework using hyperledger fabric and zero knowledge proofs for secure and verifiable electronic voting

Abstract

In the dynamic world of democratic governance, the transparency, security, and efficiency of the election systems are very crucial. This paper presents a Hybrid Cryptographic and Enforced Blockchain Framework for Transparent and Secure E-Voting (HCE-VoteChain) that combines advanced cryptography along with the Hyperledger Fabric framework for end-to-end vote integrity and verifiability. The proposed approach utilises Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA)-256 for end-to-end secure identity management, homomorphic encryption with Paillier, and vote confidentiality with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256. At the same time, Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) ensures authentication and integrity. Timestamping and smart contracts also ensure replay protection and vote validation, while a hybrid consensus from Proof of Authority (PoA) and Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) assures scalability and trust. For an additional level of auditability and privacy, the use case of Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and tamper-evident logs are implemented. The performance of HCE-VoteChain is validated through key parameters. The system achieves an average throughput of 288 TPS under benchmarked load conditions (1,000 transactions at a 200 TPS send rate), with an average end-to-end latency of 2.521 s. The individual vote processing time of 0.13 votes/sec reflects the sequential per-voter cryptographic pipeline (AES-256, ECDSA, Paillier, ZKP), which is distinct from the network-level throughput measured across concurrent transactions. The data immutability score of 0.999 quantifies the empirically observed tamper-resistance rate (i.e., the proportion of blocks found unaltered under simulated adversarial conditions), the security resilience value of 10,000 denotes the number of simulated adversarial probes resisted without a successful breach, and the fault tolerance of 0.96 represents the system uptime ratio under node-failure scenarios. These results highlight the feasibility of the proposed approach for the realization of large-scale, transparent, and secure digital elections, well-suited for the future of democratic participation.