Sequent, a global leader in cryptographically secured digital election platforms, announced today that it has advanced the implementation of the VoteSecure open-source software development kit (SDK) into its election technology platform. This move makes Sequent the first publicly declared election technology provider to integrate the VoteSecure protocol, which enables end-to-end (E2E) verifiable elections by producing cryptographically verifiable evidence at every critical step of the election process—from voter eligibility through ballot casting to the counting of results.
The milestone arrives amid growing global concerns about trust, transparency, and confidence in electoral processes and democratic institutions. VoteSecure was developed by Free & Fair, a voting technology research company, and released in November 2025 following 16 months of research aligned with the U.S. Vote Foundation’s “Future of Voting” report. The protocol supports multi-factor authentication, biometric identity verification, and air-gapped tabulation, meaning votes are tabulated only after being taken offline from the internet, with paper printouts generated to accompany traditional ballot channels.
“We are at an inflection point in democratic history. Voters are asking whether their voices truly count, and election administrators are asking how to prove it,” said Shai Bargil, CEO and Co-Founder of Sequent. “The VoteSecure protocol helps to answer both questions with mathematical certainty. Our implementation of the protocol represents an important advancement for election technology in the U.S. because it moves electoral processes closer toward open, independently auditable and cryptographically verifiable elections.”
Sequent’s platform already incorporates cryptographic technologies, and the addition of VoteSecure protocols aims to address concerns surrounding election trust, transparency, and auditability. Unlike traditional “black box” election technologies that rely heavily on institutional trust, the VoteSecure framework is designed around publicly auditable cryptographic protocols and open-source transparency principles. It incorporates threshold cryptography, verifiable shuffling and decryption techniques, zero-knowledge proofs, and air-gapped tabulation environments to strengthen election integrity while maintaining voter privacy.
The development also relied on Rigorous Digital Engineering (RDE), a formal model-based systems engineering methodology focused on analyzable specifications, formal verification, and high-assurance software development practices commonly associated with critical infrastructure and national security systems. Sequent has supported more than 330 elections and served more than 9.2 million voters across North America, Europe, and Asia.
“Election integrity can no longer rely solely on blind trust,” added Bargil. “Modern election systems today must provide verifiable evidence that votes were securely cast, accurately recorded and properly counted. Open standards and publicly auditable election infrastructure will play a major role in rebuilding confidence in democratic processes over the coming decade.”
The VoteSecure protocols are open source and publicly available for review, auditing, and integration by election technology providers, governments, and civic organizations worldwide.
