DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ONLINE VOTING SYSTEM (OSPOLY SUG ELECTION AS A CASE STUDY)

This study focuses on designing and implementing an online voting system tailored for the Students’ Union Government (SUG) election at Osun State Polytechnic, Nigeria. Traditional voting methods in Nigerian higher education institutions often face inefficiencies such as logistical challenges, low voter turnout, and susceptibility to electoral fraud. To address these issues, this research proposes a secure, efficient, and user-friendly online voting platform leveraging digital technologies to modernise the electoral process. The study adopts the Agile development methodology, ensuring iterative progress and continuous stakeholder feedback throughout the project lifecycle. The system includes a secure MySQL database for storing election-related data, an admin module for managing candidates and voters, and a voter module enabling students to cast their ballots remotely. Robust security features, such as encrypted data transmission, role-based access control, and automatic vote tallying, ensure integrity, transparency, and voter confidentiality. The system was rigorously tested through unit, integration, and security testing phases, confirming its functionality, usability, and reliability. Implementation demonstrated its ability to streamline voter registration, candidate management, and remote voting while addressing challenges like cybersecurity threats and digital literacy gaps. This study highlights the transformative potential of online voting systems in enhancing electoral transparency, accessibility, and efficiency. By providing a scalable framework for Nigerian higher education institutions, it contributes to the growing body of knowledge on digital voting systems and offers practical insights for policymakers and electoral bodies. The successful deployment at Osun State Polytechnic underscores its feasibility and sets a precedent for future adoption in a similar scenario.