Quantum-Enhanced Secure Approval Voting Protocol

In a world where elections touch every aspect of society, the need for secure voting is paramount. Traditional safeguards, based on classical cryptography, rely on complex math problems like factoring large numbers. However, quantum computing is changing the game. Recent advances in quantum technology suggest that classical cryptographic methods may not be as secure as we thought. This paper introduces a quantum voting protocol, a blend of quantum principles (entanglement and superposition), blockchain technology, and digital signatures, all powered by log₂{n} qubits, and designed for approval voting with n candidates. The result is a symphony of security features - binding, anonymity, non-reusability, verifiability, eligibility, and fairness - that chart a new course for voting security. The real world beckons, as we tested this protocol on IBM quantum hardware, achieving impressively low error rates of just 1.17% in a four-candidate election.