INTRODUCTION

 

1.1 Background of the Study

In every democratic setting with persons of differing and inconsistent opinions, decisions must be made between several options. This happens in business environment, educational environment, social organisations, and mostly in governance. One of the ways of making such a decision is through voting. Voting is a formal process of expressing individual opinions for or against some motion. In the governance sector of many organisation this process is always used as a means of selecting or electing a leader. One of the key areas where voting is applied is in election. Election is the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting. Visual cryptography is a system of encoding picture. In this system, client will be approached to upload a security picture through email, this share will be in encrypted format. Client can login to system whenever to edit voters details. Just during casting a ballot, client must upload security share, if share is incorrect, voting cannot be done, since security share is generated by using random pixels the genuine picture can’t be predicted, additionally the share can’t be gotten by other client or unapproved individual since it will be safely sent through email. Casting a ballot will be fruitful just if right share related to that client is uploaded.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The present voting system applicable in the Nigerian electoral system has proved inefficient as the voters’ registration process is slow, the manual collation of results takes time and gives room for result manipulation, also the inaccessible nature of election venues which includes the long distances to be covered by voters’ to their registered location decreases voters’ apathy towards the election processes and finally the issues of ballot box snatching and damage and other election violence and issues associated with the traditional ballot paper voting all defiles the purpose of voting in election process as a formal process of expressing individual opinions for or against some motion.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to develop online voting system using visual cryptography. To achieve the aim, the system will accomplish the following objectives:

1. Design and develop an administration dashboard for the election administration.
2. To design and develop a software platform for voter registration, election voting, real-time election result. Collation and monitoring mostly for voters remote access to election.

• Design and develop an electronic device that incorporates smart card reader and fingerprints technology for voter’s accreditation, authentication and verification.

1. To make a secure Online Voting System with some Visual Cryptography algorithm and Techniques.
2. Run simulations and compare the results of the designed e-voting system and other voting systems.

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study would help increase the level of trust in the entire election process as well as ease the different difficulties previously clogging the system such as long queues, general time wasting and lack of credibility. It also ensures early availability of results and reduction of the overall cost of conducting an election. This would enhance the willingness of voters to participate in the elections and ultimately lead to the conduct of a credible election. The system will allow voters to vote once. The online voting system shall reduce the time spend making long queues at the polling stations during election. The system shall improve speed and exactness in counting. The system will authenticate the user to ensure that only legible voters are allowed to vote.

 

1.5 Scope and Limitations of the Study

This project is mainly designed to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission to use electronic device to capture voter’s information, and to allow voters to cast their votes easily and comfortably to promote a more credible election which is efficient and less costly. The dynamic nature of the elections application interface and database structure allows for different organizations set up and conduct basic elections too. It is an online interface enabled real-time election monitoring and result collation. Some of its major limitations are:

 

1. It requires network access: since the collection and sending of votes to the database requires an internet access which may not be readily available in some urban areas would seem a limiting factor, though the local database and the printed vote can be used for counting until network is restored.
2. The cost of setting up e-voting system is high: due to the delicate nature of such a system and the fact that its major components are presently not locally source, it will be quiet costly to setup, but its usage and maintenance is far better that the present ballot paper system.

• It also depends on electricity to a point: In as much as it has an in built battery that can last for the required election duration on daily basis, a case of low battery would require it to recharge which may not be possibly if there is no electric power at the moment.

 

1.6 Definition of Terms

The following words have been defined as they will be used in the Study:

Design: Refers to a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system, for the implementation of an activity algorithms or policy.

Implementation: It is the realization of an application or execution of plan, idea mode, design specification, standard algorithm or policy.

Real Time Voting: Is a proposed method of direct democracy whereby voters can represent themselves online, thereby increasing accountability.

Visual Cryptography: Is a system of encoding pictures.

E-Voting System: Electronic Voting System is a way of applying electronic elements in the one or more steps of the electoral cycle.

Cryptography: Refers to the method of encoding or encrypting a data or information.

Encryption: It is the process of obscuring information.

Decryption: Is a way of reversing information or data (encrypted).