ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. 1. Background of the Study

Elections are understood to be the key mainstay of democracy all over the globe and voting is one of the electoral routes that ensure the sustenance of democratic system in any civilization. Voting is the process that allows the general public or the people to choose their leaders and articulate views on how they will be governed. The veracity of democratic system is primary to the veracity of election itself consequently the election system must be satisfactorily secured to survive a range of fraudulent behaviors and must be sufficiently translucent and comprehensible that voters and candidates can accept the outcome of an election. Unsurprisingly, history is littered with examples of elections being maneuvered in order to change their outcome (Shafi et al. 2013).

Many parts of Nigeria have experienced setbacks, which have led to the destruction of both lives and property, simply because the rule of the game was not adhered to, and so political violence, unhealthy politicking have been the order of the day. People usually wanting to impose themselves on the voters, so they use all sorts of means to get into office. And this has continued to cause a lot of harm and has made the citizens poorer in spite of the abundance of natural and human resources in the country, this is however not limited to the country national electoral processes but has also infiltrated other sectors such as the student union government in academic institutions.

Online voting system is an electronic way of selecting leaders through a web driven application. Over the past few years, some election observers have suggested the introduction of electronic voting over the manual paper method. The online voting system mainly addresses the electronic voting process using the online voting system should be cheaper than the present day paper based system been used by many electoral bodies such as the National Association of Computer Science Student (NACOSS), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Student Union Government(SUG). The advantage of the online voting over the present manual system is that the voters have the choice of voting at their own free time and reduces congestion. It also minimizes on errors of vote counting. The individuals’ votes are submitted in a database which can be queried to find out who the aspirants for a given post has the highest number of votes (Taban, 2017).

With the online voting system, a voter can use his other voting right online without any difficulty. He or she has to register as a voter first before being authorized to vote. The registration should be done prior to the voting date to enable data update on the database. Most African electoral bodies with no exception to NACOSS, INEC etc., even with the technological improvements and advancements, still use primitive paper based methods during voting (Peter, 2017).

The system is characterized by manual form filling to choose leaders and transfer of information from manual data capture forms to computerized datasheets. The has led to a high number of mistakes making their way into the final votes count. The main advantage of the paper based system is that the ballot papers are easily human auditable. But the disadvantages are more than the advantages, example, slow speed in ballot papers printing, expensive, inflexible, and environmentally hostile well as literacy limitations and last minute changes to the voters register are difficult to go with and so many others (Cranor  et al., 2007).

Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is the voting that uses electronic means to either and or take care of casting and counting of votes.

Depending on the particular implementation, e-voting may use standalone electronic voting machines (also called EVM) or computers connected to the internet. It may encompass a range of internet services, from basic transmission of tabulated results to full function online voting through common connectable household devices. The degree of automation may be limited to marking a paper ballot, or may be a comprehensive system of vote input, vote recording, data encryption and transmission to servers and consolidation and tabulation of election results (Chalier,  2006).

A worthy e-voting system must perform most of these tasks while complying with a set of standards established by regulatory bodies, and must also be capable to deal successfully with strong requirements associated with security, accuracy, integrity, swiftness, privacy, auditability, cost-effectiveness, scalability and ecological sustainability.

1. 2. Statement of the Problem

In NACOSS, voting and registration process is very cumbersome. So many cases of persons who are not eligible to vote, being that they are not from the department have been reported that such persons partake in the department electoral process due to lack of registration of eligible voters. One of the major issue of election is basically malpractice, as such the method that will be adopted during voters’ registration will go a long way to determine free and fair nature as well as the credibility of elections. 

Additionally, voters have to wait longer period in order for them to be able to vote for the candidate of their choice and the counting of votes often times in such process the issue of invalid votes come into place which is a serious disadvantage to the affected candidate who might have been mistakenly vote incorrectly.

 Hence the above, this research work will serve as a solution to these problems.

1. 3. Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this research work is to design and implement an E-voting evaluation system that will serve as to curtail the challenges of the result evaluation and coalition process of NACOSS and also serve as an avenue where voters can vote the candidate of their choice at the convenience of their houses without waiting for longer period of time.

The objectives include the following;

1. To review related literatures pointing to electronic voting systems.
2. Allow the electronic voting of candidates.
3. Enable a proper management and counting of votes.
4. Enable the elimination of the cases of invalid votes.
5. Reduce the cost in running the manual method.

1.4     Significance of the Study

This research work will serve as to curtail the challenges of electoral mal-practices in the NACOSS electoral process and to ensure that voters most preferred candidates are chosen without problems of election rigging within a shortest possible time. hence promoting the conduct of a free and fair election.

1.5     Scope of the Study

This research work is limited to the basic processes of the electoral process of the National Association of Computer Science student (NACOSS) NAITES Chapter, in her quest to elect her EXCOs into the various available offices.

1.6     Limitation of the Study

The researcher faced some limitations during the course of this research. Some of this limitations/constraint includes;

i.        Time constraint: Time factor were also the major factors as the timeframe to submit the project was too short for an extensive research.

ii.       Financial constraint:  Lack of adequate finance to fund the researcher as to visit many places was another major setback.

1.7     Definition of Terms

• Ballot Paper: A paper used for voting in an election, one having the name of the candidates printed on it.
• Computer Network: A system that connects two or more computers together using a communication link.
• Computerized Datasheet: Is a document that summarizes the performance and other technical characteristics of a product.
• Data Capture: The action or process of getting data, especially from automatic device control system or season.
• Database: A systematically arranged collection of computer data, structured so that it can be automatically retrieved or manipulated.
• Disenfranchising: This is the revocation of the right of a person, individual or a group from exercising their right to vote.
• Election: This is a formal decision making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold a public office.
• Electoral Bodies: these are bodies and organizations that are established by the government to oversee elections and electoral processes in a country.
• Electronic Voting: Also known as E-Voting is a term concerning many different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting and counting of votes.
• INEC: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria among other things to organize elections of various political offices in the country.
• Information System: It is a collection of procedures, people, instructions and equipment to produce information in a useful form.
• NACOSS: National Association of Computer Science Student
• NAITES: Nigerian Army Institute of Technology and Environmental Studies
• Online Voting System: The art of using electronic means to either aid or take care of the chores of vote casting and counting.
• Technology: It is the study of technologies or processes of mobilizing resources (such as information) for accomplishing goals that benefit man and his ecosystem or environment.
• Validation: It is a process of checking data against a standard or requirement.
• Voter Registration: The requirement in some democratic states or countries for citizens and residents to check in with some central right specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in an election.
• Voting System: Is a method by which voters make a choice between options often in an election or in a policy referendum.

Voting: This is a method for a group such as meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an option.