# Potential Voting Platform
**URL:** https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432
**Category:** NixOS Foundation
**Created:** [July 4, 2024, 1:22pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432 "2024-07-04T13:22:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Aras14HD](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Aras14HD)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2024, 1:22pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/1 "2024-07-04T13:22:15Z")
Recently there have been some [thoughts to introduce some democracy](https://nixpkgs.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/435724-governance/topic/Does.20anyone.20have.20a.20problem.20with.20Democratic.20Systems.3F), because of the drama. What they are looking for reminded me of the Matrix elections, and though we would have way more voters, it seems like a good option. It does cost some money, but it’s only 80$ for 1000 voters and 100 candidates, the number of voters is derived from the number of contributors on GitHub (rounding up quite a bit), in my opinion that is a sensible voter demographic. These votes would be anonymous and verified (a single-use link is sent to every contributor). The platform is [OpaVote](https://opavote.com/).
If this is off-topic/wrong place, I am sorry. I posted here since this is the best place I could. @lassulus you asked if there was one, I hope this helps.
---
### Author:  [@MagicRB](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/MagicRB)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/2 "2024-07-04T13:49:30Z")
I am personally all for a democracy on certain issues. Direct democracy has its own share of problems, but that’s way beyond of what we need to be discussing here. My suggestion though instead of delegating to a platform is much simpler, GPG signed ballots. (I know I know everyone hates GPG, figure out how to do it with SSH, I wouldn’t mind that). I don’t knos the specifics but we could have a repository with votea and ballots. Wouldn’t be anonymous though. (Personally I stand behind my vote and wouldn’t mind non anonymous, but that should be fixable).
---
### Author:  [@Infinisil](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Infinisil)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/3 "2024-07-04T13:55:53Z")
Please use the [Zulip instance](https://github.com/NixOS/nix-constitutional-assembly/tree/main/zulip) dedicated for such governance discussions, so that we can keep the Discourse for mostly technical topics 😉
Edit: I opened a Zulip topic for this [here](https://nixpkgs.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/435724-governance/topic/Potential.20Voting.20Platform.3A.20OpaVote/near/449115701)
---
### Author:  [@hexa](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/hexa)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2024, 2:23pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/4 "2024-07-04T14:23:10Z")
---
### Author:  [@endocrimes](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/endocrimes)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/5 "2024-07-05T01:03:47Z")
---
### Author:  [@DarthPJB](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/DarthPJB)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/6 "2024-07-05T01:27:15Z")
@Aras14HD I’d just like to thank you for bringing this software to light - and for having read my post in the governance discussion; It brings me great joy to know those discussions are being observed.
It looks like a quality service; However I’m not seeing much, if any discussion of it’s technical merits; Would you be willing to provide any; I’d be more than happy to carry them forward on your behalf.
---
### Author:  [@nyanbinary](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/nyanbinary)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/7 "2024-07-05T03:30:30Z")
Another egg in the basket is [Loomio](https://www.loomio.com/), looks really solid. :3
---
### Author:  [@Aras14HD](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Aras14HD)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2024, 7:40am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/8 "2024-07-05T07:40:39Z")
I really just thought of the Matrix elections when I saw the discussion, so I can only echo what they claim (and try to verify).
People can vote using a single-use link sent to them via email by the platform, through this link they can access a in my opinion very good interface where they can select/rank candidates.
They offer a variety of voting systems including Single Transferable Vote, ranked voting, in my opinion very fair.
The results are publicly displayed and include all steps taken to arrive at the result, there is also a recount option, which gives the results in other voting systems. This seems very transparent to me.
They have a [demo vote](https://opavote.com/vote/5654402576678912), which includes multiple voting options.
They claim to have been used by a verity of organizations including the Green Democrats, I could verify [the NY State Brewers Association](https://newyorkcraftbeer.com/2019-elections/nomination-election-process/), and of course Matrix and StackOverflow.
Edit: posted prematurely
I doubt there is any free option, as it is quite some effort, but if there was one, that would be great.
I do not intend to participate in the discussion, as such I don’t care, that this was closed, I just want to inform you of one option, whether you use it or not is your decision.
Edit2: added stackoverflow
---
### Author:  [@Aras14HD](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Aras14HD)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2024, 9:42am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/9 "2024-07-05T09:42:58Z")
I looked for open source/free/whitepaper e-voting, and found all options to be barely to unmaintained (one exception):
- [Helios](https://vote.heliosvoting.org/) | no verification of eligibility, and more
- [SecureBallot](https://github.com/ndslab-unipa/SecureBallot) | No Hoster
- [Kantpoll](https://kantpoll.com/) | Blockchain
- [zkVoting](https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1003.pdf), [VoteAgain](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2005.11189) | No Implementation
- [Belenios](https://www.belenios.org/) | like Helios, but with elegibility verification; actively maintained, GPLv3!; also supports ranked votes
There are some options, but they are neither easy to use nor as featureful, except maybe Belenios.
Again this thread is not for discussion (that’s for the Zulip), just for gathering options.
---
### Author:  [@DarthPJB](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/DarthPJB)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2024, 12:35pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/potential-voting-platform/48432/10 "2024-07-05T12:35:07Z")
I’ve moved the options suggested so far to the governance thread created by [Infinisil](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Infinisil)
Thank you to both @nyanbinary and @Aras14HD for your research.