The Caesar Cipher and Stacking the Deck in New York State Voter Rolls | Journal of Information Warfare

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2023-05-27 01:00:14

Voters in New York State are identified by two identification numbers. This study has discovered strong evidence that both numbers have been algorithmically manipulated to produce steganographically concealed record attribute information. One of the several algorithms discovered has been solved. It first utilizes a mechanism nearly identical to the simple ‘Caesar Cipher’ to change the order of a group of ID numbers. Then, it interlaces them the way a deck of cards is arranged to create a ‘stacked deck’. The algorithmic modifications create hidden structure within voter ID numbers. The structure can be used to covertly tag fraudulent records for later use.

Andrew Paquette co-founded the International Game Architecture and Design Academy (now BUAS) in the Netherlands, after a career in the feature film and video game industries. He received his PhD from King’s College, London, in 2018 for a thesis on the development of expertise. In the years since, he has spent most of his time conducting independent research on New York state’s election systems.

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