This diploma work is divided into two parts. The first part analyzes and discusses the issue of eVoting. After an introduction to the topic, we will focus on the several legal aspects that have to be fulfilled by any implementation of eVoting. Special consideration is given to eVoting for universities and statutory corporations. Furthermore we examine different approaches and technical solutions that meet legal concerns. Potential vulnerabilities are identified, examined and possible countermeasures proposed. We disclose that none of the current pilot projects has actually solved the problem of buying votes. Other important security aspects that need to be addressed are secure mutual authentication, voter platforms that are free of malicious software (secure platform problem), and a clean separation between the voters identity and the opinion he or she wishes to express. We come to the conclusion, that the best approach to tackle all security concerns is based on a public key infrastructure, which unfortunately is not yet widespread. However, the implementation of any eVoting-system should not only focus on technical aspects. A comprehensive way of dealing with all security issues is strongly recommended.

The second part of our diploma work consists of the development of an eVoting system for universities, smaller institutions and other statutory corporations. It?s design and functionality are based on our previous evaluations. What our program distinguishes from existing eVoting systems is its flexibility and versatility. A vote or election can easily be set up by any person that is authorised to do so. At the current development stage, three kinds of votes can be arranged. More types of votes shall be added in the future. The application has been written in Java. Several open-source development tools like Struts or Hibernate have been used throughout the development process.