📘 Voting and Polls: Main Concepts
Key concepts for understanding the technological foundation of the platform
- Blockchain
- Block Producers / Servers
- Block Producer Governance
- Blockchain Provider / RPC Node
- Blockchain Explorer
- Smart Contract
- Transaction Fee (Gas Fee)
- Public / Private Key Pair
- Digital Signature
🔗 1. Blockchain
Definition: A distributed digital ledger that records transactions on multiple computers in a way that prevents subsequent alteration. Each block of transactions is cryptographically linked to the previous one, forming an immutable chain.
In simple terms: A shared tamper-proof journal that no one owns individually, but everyone can read and verify.
Key properties:
- Immutability: Once a transaction is recorded, it cannot be changed or deleted.
- Transparency: Any participant can verify transaction details.
- Decentralization: No single server or authority controls the data.
- Availability: The network continues to operate even if individual nodes fail.
⚙️ 2. Block Producers / Validators
Definition: Specialized servers (nodes) in a blockchain network that are responsible for collecting pending transactions, verifying their correctness, packaging them into new blocks, and adding these blocks to the blockchain. They are the "workhorses" of the network.
In simple terms: These are machines that "stamp" blocks with transactions and add them to the common chain. Without them, the blockchain does not work.
How it works:
- Users send transactions to the network.
- Transactions enter the "waiting pool" (mempool).
- A block producer selects transactions from the pool, verifies signatures, and forms a block.
- The block is broadcast to other network nodes for verification.
- After confirmation, the block becomes part of the blockchain — the transaction is saved forever.
Note:
Block generation time and confirmation of inclusion in the blockchain may take several seconds.
🎮 3. Block Producer Governance
Definition: A set of mechanisms (protocol rules, voting, sanctions) that determine who has the right to be a block producer, how they are selected, how they are controlled, and how they are removed for violations.
In simple terms: These are the "rules of the game" for servers that produce blocks. Who appoints them? How to remove a bad one? Who checks honesty?
Examples of blockchain producer systems:
- EOSIO (Delegated Proof-of-Stake - DPoS): Used in Antelope networks such as EOS, WAX, Telos.
- EVM-compatible networks (Proof-of-Authority / PoS): BNB Chain (BSC), Parlia, Polygon PoS
- Cosmos SDK (Tendermint/CometBFT): Cosmos Hub (ATOM), Cronos, Osmosis.
🏭 4. Blockchain Provider / RPC Node
Definition: A service (network node) that provides API access to the blockchain. Through a provider, applications (e.g., your Flutter app) connect to the blockchain to send transactions, read data, and interact with smart contracts.
In simple terms: This is the "door" or "gateway" between our application and the blockchain. The application does not connect directly to the blockchain — it connects to the provider, and the provider communicates with the network.
Types of providers:
- Public RPC nodes: Free or conditionally free services (e.g., Infura, Alchemy for Ethereum). May have request rate limits.
- Private nodes: Your own deployed blockchain node. Provides full control but requires maintenance resources.
- Embedded light client: The application connects directly to peers (peer-to-peer) without intermediaries — maximum decentralization, but slower.
In our system:
- The Flutter app connects to blockchain RPC nodes via a Web3 library.
- For organizers requiring maximum sovereignty, it is possible to run a private node within their infrastructure.
- Failover mechanism (automatic switching): if one provider is unavailable, the application switches to a backup node.
In the voting context: The provider is a critically important component. If the provider is unavailable, the application cannot submit a vote or obtain current results. Therefore, we use multiple backup providers.
🔍 5. Blockchain Explorer
Definition: A web service (similar to a search engine) that allows viewing, searching, and analyzing blockchain data in a human-readable format. The explorer shows blocks, transactions, wallet addresses, smart contracts, and fees.
In simple terms: This is the "magnifying glass" and "archive" of the blockchain. Anyone can open an explorer and see what is happening on the network.
What you can find out through an explorer:
- How many total votes were cast in a specific poll
- When each vote was cast (exact timestamp)
- Which wallet the vote came from (public key — pseudonymous)
- Whether there were any votes after the official closing
- The smart contract code (you can verify that the rules haven't changed)
- The organizer's wallet balance (enough gas or not)
Why this is important for voting:
- Transparency: Any observer, journalist, or ordinary voter can independently verify the results. No need to trust the organizer or site administrator.
- Audit: The explorer serves as an independent arbiter in disputes. A court can use explorer data as evidence.
- Trust: The ability to "see for yourself" increases the legitimacy of the vote.
Examples of well-known explorers:
- Ethereum: Etherscan, Etherchain
- Solana: Solscan, Solana Explorer
- Bitcoin: Blockchain.com, Mempool.space
- Cryptounit (our network): Our own explorer (in development) with filtering by poll smart contracts
In our system:
- Each poll receives a direct link to the explorer where anyone can verify all votes.
- The voting results in the application interface are accompanied by a transaction hash and an explorer link.
- For private sidechains (municipal elections), the explorer can be private — access only for observers with special rights.
Example explorer link for a specific poll:
https://explorer.cryptounit.io/contract/0x7d3f9a2b...e8c1?tab=votes
🔄 Diagram: How the app, provider, explorer, and blockchain are connected
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ Flutter App │────▶│ Blockchain │────▶│ Blockchain │
│ (your voting │ │ Provider │ │ Network │
│ app) │ │ (RPC Node) │ │ (Cryptounit) │
└─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └────────┬────────┘
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ ▼
│ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
└──────────────▶│ Blockchain │ │ Blockchain │
│ Explorer │◀────│ Explorer │
│ (human reads) │ │ (automatic │
└─────────────────┘ │ audit) │
└─────────────────┘
User votes → app sends transaction through provider to the network →
after confirmation, anyone can open the explorer and verify this vote.
📊 Comparison: Provider vs Explorer
| Characteristic |
Blockchain Provider |
Blockchain Explorer |
| For whom |
For applications (machines) |
For people (users, observers, auditors) |
| Data format |
API (JSON-RPC, WebSocket) — data for code processing |
HTML / web interface — tables, charts, search |
| Write capability |
✅ Yes (sending transactions, votes) |
❌ No (read and view only) |
| Authorization required |
Usually no (public RPCs are open) |
No (completely open access) |
| Usage example |
Flutter app sends a vote |
Journalist verifies election integrity |
| In our system |
Cryptounit RPC nodes + backup providers |
Our own Cryptounit Explorer |
🔧 Choosing a provider for voting
- Reliability: Use multiple providers (majority failover). If one node is unavailable, the application automatically switches to another.
- Speed: For real-time voting, latency is critical. Choose providers with geographically close servers.
- Limits: Free providers may limit the number of requests. For mass voting (10,000+ participants), consider a paid plan or your own node.
- Privacy: Public providers may log IP addresses. For anonymous voting, you can use your own node or a provider with a no-logs policy.
📜 6. Smart Contract
Definition: A self-executing program stored on the blockchain that automatically enforces the rules of an agreement when predefined conditions are met. No intermediary is required to execute or verify the outcome.
In simple terms: A vending machine for rules. You insert a vote (input), and the machine dispenses the result (output) without a human operator.
For voting: The smart contract contains the poll logic:
- Who is eligible to vote (whitelist of Community members)
- What are the answer options (candidates / yes-no)
- When voting starts and ends (timestamps)
- How votes are counted (one member = one vote, or weighted by delegation)
- What happens after closing (automatic result finalization)
In our system: Smart contracts are written in C++ (EOSIO) and deployed on the Cryptounit blockchain. Each poll has its own smart contract, and each Community has a factory contract that manages members and delegations.
⚙️ 7. Transaction Fee (Gas Fee)
Definition: A fee charged by the blockchain network for processing a transaction (e.g., sending a vote or delegation). The fee compensates validators for the computational resources used.
Problem in public blockchains: On Ethereum, gas fees can spike to $10-50 during peak hours, making mass voting economically impossible.
Our solution:
- Cryptounit has fixed low fees (~$0.001 per transaction).
- The organizer pays all gas fees from a pre-funded deposit (sponsor transaction mechanism).
- Voters never see or pay the fee — they just vote.
🔑 8. Public / Private Key Pair
Definition: A cryptographic key pair consisting of a public key (which can be shared openly, like an account number) and a private key (which must be kept secret, like a PIN code).
- Public key: The wallet address. Anyone can send a vote or tokens to this address. It appears on the blockchain.
- Private key: The secret that proves ownership. Used to sign transactions (votes). Never shared with anyone.
In our system: Private keys are generated on the user's device and stored in encrypted form (built-in cold wallet). The organizer never has access to them. For users without a wallet, the system creates one automatically at the organizer's expense.
🖊️ 9. Digital Signature
Definition: A mathematical scheme that proves the authenticity of a digital message or transaction. A valid signature confirms that the message was created by the known sender (owner of the private key) and was not altered during transmission.
For voting: When a voter casts a vote, their device creates a digital signature using their private key. The blockchain verifies this signature before recording the vote. This ensures non-repudiation — the voter cannot later deny having voted (but their choice remains anonymous if the wallet is pseudonymous).
🔏 10. Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP)
Definition: A cryptographic method that allows one party (the prover) to prove to another party (the verifier) that a statement is true, without revealing any additional information beyond the truth of the statement itself.
For voting: A voter can prove that they voted (e.g., to receive a participation reward) without revealing who they voted for.
In our roadmap: ZKP support is planned for Q4 2026 — Q1 2027 for high-sensitivity votes where anonymity must be mathematically guaranteed even against a quantum computer.
📋 Quick Reference: Key Terms
| Term |
One-sentence definition |
| Blockchain |
A tamper-proof distributed ledger across multiple computers. |
| Smart Contract |
Self-executing code on the blockchain that automatically enforces rules. |
| Gas Fee |
A small fee for processing a transaction on the blockchain. |
| Public Key |
The wallet address — can be shared openly. |
| Private Key |
The secret key that proves ownership — never shared. |
| Digital Signature |
A cryptographic proof that a specific person authorized a transaction. |
| Delegation |
Transferring one's voting power to another trusted member. |
| Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) |
Proving a statement is true without revealing the underlying information. |