Mix Network

A mix network (mixnet) is a cryptographic routing protocol that achieves anonymity by passing encrypted messages through a chain of servers (mix nodes), each of which reorders and re-encrypts the messages before passing them on. In e-voting, mixnets are used to anonymize ballots: the association between a voter's identity and their ballot is broken before decryption, so even if some mix nodes are compromised, the remaining honest nodes preserve anonymity. Mixnets are a primary technique for ensuring ballot secrecy in internet voting systems intended to make voting more accessible to people with disabilities and remote voters.