Universal Verifiability

Universal verifiability is a security property of election systems that enables any third party — not just registered voters — to independently audit and confirm that the published election outcome correctly reflects all legitimately cast ballots. It complements individual verifiability (voters checking their own ballots) by ensuring the entire tallying process is transparent and auditable. In accessible internet voting, universal verifiability is often implemented through cryptographic proofs published on a public bulletin board, allowing disability organizations, civil society, and international observers to audit results without access to private voter data.