USE Cases

Voting System USE Cases

System Startup Use Case: The software is started based upon the platform on which it is running. It is expected that once the software is running, it will be available 24 x 7 x 365 except for scheduled down times for upgrades, etc.
Voter Registration Use Case: A voter will register as a first time voter. He/she must be a citizen with a valid social security number. The user will register with a set of required attributes such as social security number, first name, surname, etc. The user will select a password that will be used to authenticate that user. (see Authenticate Users Extension )
Administer Election Elements Use Case: A voting administrator will pass through the authentication process. (see Authenticate Users Extension) The voting admin will then be able to create/delete a set of election elements which include, but are not limited to, candidates and referendums associated with a specific locality. These election elements will then be used to construct a ballot. (see Construct Ballot Extension)
Create an Election Use Case: An election official will pass through the authentication process. ( see Authenticate Users Extension) The election official will be able to create an election based on a set of Election elements. The election can be run over a configurable amount of time. However, once the election is begun, no changes can be made to the election duration until the election is complete.
Document Relevant Election Information: All election elements and federal, state, and local laws and information will be documented for voters. This information will be made readily available at any time during the voting process.
Perform Vote Use Case: A registered voter will pass through the authentication process. (see Authenticate Users Extension) Once the user is authenticated, the user will be presented with a ballot based upon the voter’s registration. (see Construct Ballot Extension). The user will then vote on his/her preferred candidates and referendums. The voting information will be securely stored in a backend datastore until the results can be reported. Anonymity will be maintained for all votes.
Report Election Results Use Case: An election official, after passing the authentication process, will retrieve the results and report them accordingly along with election statistics.
Change Registration Extension: A previously registered voter will pass through the authentication process, then update his / her registration information. Users will be able to change their registration information up to a configurable amount of time before the election.
Update Vote Extension: A voter will be able to update his / her vote if the election is allowing a voter to change their vote. For a given election, the user will be authenticated and will then be shown his / her votes to date.
Authenticate Users Extension: Users (voters, voting admins, and election officials) will be authenticated based upon a userID / password. The user ID can simply be the user’s social security number since that is unique to all persons. Users that forget their password will need to know user specific information to retrieve the password.
Construct Ballot Extension: Election elements are coalesced based on the user’s registration details. For example, the ballot will consist of federal issues as well as state and local issues for which the user is associated via registration.