DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF E-VOTING SYSTEM USING MATLAB

1.1 Introduction

E-voting is short for “electronic voting’ and refers to the option of using electronic means to vote in referendums and elections. There are systems such as DRE (Direct electronic recording) voting machines that record the vote without that vote being transmitted over the Internet or another network. The interface of a DRE machine can be a touch screen or a scanner that scans the ballot paper where the voter marked the vote. The vote is then registered and stored in the voting machine. Then there is the voting over the Internet that uses a Personal Computer (PC) with an Internet-connection to cast the vote and send it to be stored in another remote computer. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA”s), telephones or mobile phones can also be used to cast a vote electronically. There are a wide variety of e-voting set ups, ranging from the casting of the vote with the aid of an electronic device (voting machines) inside computer intelligence polling station to casting a vote anywhere outside the polling station at a PC and transmitting the vote via the Internet.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of the Study

E-Voting is an election system that allows a voter to record his or her secure and secret ballot electronically. In 2004; it’s estimated that approximately 30 percent of the voting population in the United State used some form of e-voting technology, including direct electronic recording (DER) touch screen or optical scanners, to record their vote for president. (Vihti, 2006). Electronic votes are stored digitally in a storage medium such as a tape cartridge, diskette, or smart card before being sent to a centralized location where tabulation programs compile and tabulate results. Advocates of e-voting point out that electronic voting can reduce election costs and increase civic participation by making the voting process more convenient. Critics maintain that without a paper trail, recounts are more difficult and electronic ballot manipulation, or even poorly-written programme code, could affect election results. (Wahlstift, 2000)

There is an ongoing discussion in many countries about e-voting via Internet or electronic distance voting. While some kind of e-voting is already widely used by society, organizations and private industry voting needs as well as non professional/ non-official polling, the situation is quite different when it comes to national elections and referendums. Several countries are considering the introduction of e-voting and are running a variety of pilot projects. Because of security concerns there is, in some countries, a strong opposition to any kind of e-voting, but especially when it comes to the use of the Internet for voting at national elections or referendums.

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1.3 Statement of the Problem

The inefficiency of voting process in Nigeria has resulted in a lot of problems. These problems have continued to obstruct the peace of democracy in Nigeria because the choice of a capable candidate is not encouraged by the current system. These problems include:

1. High rate of rigging during election process
2. Multiple voters
3. Inefficient and inaccurate counting of voters by officers concerned.
4. Long queues observed at polling stations
5. Illegible voters casting their vote
6. Lost votes due to either wrong voting or the case of any accident occurring during transportation of the statement of result and other electoral materials to the collection centers.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to Design and Develop an Electronic Voting System in Matlab. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were set out as follows:

1. To design and develop a software platforms for voter registration, election voting, real-time election results collation and monitoring and mostly for voters remote access to elections.
2. To design and develop an electronic device that incorporates smart card reader and fingerprints technology for voters accreditation, authentication and verification.
3. To design and develop an administration dashboard for the election administrators.
4. To execute simulations and compare the results of the designed e-voting system and other voting systems.

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1.5 Significance of the Study

The significance of an e-voting system to the society and mostly to Nigeria are outline as follows:

1. The study will provide INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) with a means to conduct less costly and fair elections.
2. The secure and flexible database management system safeguards data and information to account for credible elections.
3. It will serve to reduce the workload in the process of conducting election.
4. As it incorporates remote voting individuals can vote from their convenience.
5. It will enable INEC reduce the time wasted in collating and announcing election result.
6. It will greatly reduce and eliminate disenfranchising electorates.
7. It will serve to eliminate invalid votes, curb election violence as votes are counted immediately as they are cast.

This study will also be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is restricted to Design and implementation of Electronic Voting System using Matlab. However, the scope of this research work would be restricted to only Student Union Government, Federal Polytechnic Nekede.

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1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

1. Direct-Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting System: Records votes by means of a ballot display provided with mechanical or electro-optical components that can be activated by the voter (typically buttons or a touch screen); that processes data with computer software; and that records voting data and ballot images in memory components
2. Paper-Based Electronic Voting System: Paper-based voting systems originated as a system where votes are cast and counted by hand, using paper ballots.
3. Information and Communication Technology: This is referred to those technologies that determine the efficiency and effectiveness with which we communicate and the devices that allow us handle information.
4. Ballot Paper: Material with which voters used to cast their votes.
5. Ballot Box: A container in which voters drop their votes
6. Ballot: A vote recorded in an election.
7. Collation Centre: A designated location where results are collected.
8. Computer: An electronic device that stores data, processes data and produces an output as information.
9. Democracy: This is the government of the people for the people and by the people.
10. Election: The act of choosing by voting one of the candidates for a position.
11. NSIEC: Nigeria State Independent Electoral Commission
12. Home Page: The front door to a website. Normally contains links to other sites or pages.
13. Poll: The process of voting at an election.
14. Poll Station: A centre or venue where voters cast their votes.
15. Rigging: To manipulate election result in favour of another person.
16. Voter’s Card: This is a card given to a voter to ascertain that he has the right to vote.
17. Votes’ Register: This is a register containing the data of eligible voters completed by the election officials.