Civic Tech · Security
Designed a secure election system for an alumni network
Secure digital democracy for a diaspora alumni network
End-to-end product ownership on the SANK e-Election System, a digital voting platform for about 200 Swedish Institute alumni where the defining product decision was choosing legitimacy over convenience.
This case study matters because it shows how product decisions can be framed around legitimacy, not just usability.
Challenge
Sweden Alumni Network Kenya needed a remote election system after earlier digital voting attempts failed to win trust. Members questioned eligibility verification, ballot secrecy, and whether results could be manipulated.
Context
SANK members voting remotely and the election committee responsible for running a credible, auditable process.
Operating constraints
->Perceived manipulation would delegitimize the board, so trust and auditability outweighed convenience.
->Technical comfort varied widely across the membership, which forced clarity and restraint in the interaction design.
->There was no budget for commercial voting tools, so the system had to be designed from accessible components and volunteer-friendly delivery.
->The product scope covered the full election lifecycle, not just ballot casting.
Strategic approach
Pivoted from self-registration to CSV voter import
Security analysis showed self-registration could not reliably prove member eligibility. Admin-controlled voter import raised committee effort but removed the credibility gap.
Specified a security-first architecture
The proposed stack favored auditability and isolation over raw development speed because legitimacy was the actual product outcome.
Used a consistent, accessibility-minded interaction model
The system documentation emphasized consistent patterns across nominations, verification, voting, and results so members would not have to relearn the interface mid-process.
My role
Owned the product end to end. Authored the PRD, user flows, technical architecture, security specifications, and design documentation, and worked directly with the election committee on requirements and review.
Results and impact
- *Delivered a full specification suite for development handoff across product, architecture, security, and design.
- *Passed committee review with a security model that removed eligibility disputes through CSV import.
- *Scoped the system for approximately 200 members with extension potential for future elections and similar alumni networks.
- *Created a documentation package suitable for either volunteer implementation or contracted delivery.
Reflection
The CSV import pivot was the moment that defined the work. Throwing away the more convenient self-registration approach felt expensive, but convenience was creating a trust gap. In civic tech, legitimacy beats convenience every time.