Electoral System Optimization Through Voting Quorum, Voter Turnout, Candidate Viability, and Electoral Integrity Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70112/ajes-2024.13.2.4250Keywords:
Electoral Systems, Voter Turnout, Candidate Viability, Voting System, Mathematical ModelingAbstract
Electoral systems are pivotal in shaping democratic governance; however, they often face challenges related to voter turnout, candidate viability, and electoral integrity. These challenges necessitate innovative solutions to optimize electoral processes while ensuring accuracy and fairness. This study aims to optimize electoral systems by analyzing the impacts of voting quorum, voter turnout, candidate viability, and electoral integrity. The goal is to develop and test a software-based voting system that addresses these critical factors while maintaining robustness and efficiency. A digital voting platform was designed, allowing users to log in using their surname and matriculation number. Each voter was enabled to cast a single vote per post, ensuring accuracy and uniqueness. The system incorporated automated candidate and voter registration processes, distributing unique voting credentials via email to registered voters. A mathematical model leveraging linear and nonlinear programming techniques was formulated to optimize electoral outcomes, addressing constraints such as quorum requirements, voter turnout, candidate viability, and integrity safeguards to prevent duplicate and invalid votes. The integration of the proposed parameters in the voting system significantly improved its integrity and efficiency. Empirical testing demonstrated high accuracy in vote counting and robust protection against fraudulent activities. The model achieved optimized outcomes by balancing the constraints and promoting an equitable electoral process. The findings highlight the effectiveness of incorporating mathematical modeling and secure software solutions in optimizing electoral systems. This framework provides a scalable and reliable approach to addressing the challenges of modern electoral processes, offering practical implications for enhancing democratic practices in electronic voting systems.
References
M. O. Achieng and E. Ruhode, “The adoption and challenges of electronic voting technologies within the South African context,” Int. J. Managing Inf. Technol. (IJMIT), vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 1-12, 2013.
P. Norris, Why Elections Fail, Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO97811072 80908.
R. M. Alvarez and T. E. Hall, Electronic Elections: The Perils and Promises of Digital Democracy, Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 2008. [Online]. Available: http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7ss68.
M. N. Franklin et al., Voter Turnout and the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Established Democracies Since 1945, Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004.
E. Gidengil, “The Decision to Vote or to Abstain,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, Oct. 26, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://oxfordre.com/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-69.
A. Blais, “What affects voter turnout?” Annu. Rev. Polit. Sci., vol. 9, pp. 111-125, 2006. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1146/annu rev.polisci.9.070204.105121.
S. C. Stokes, “Political parties and democracy,” Annu. Rev. Polit. Sci., vol. 2, pp. 243-267, 1999. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1146/ annurev.polisci.2.1.243.
M. Duverger and D. W. Brogan, Political Parties: Their Organization and Activity in the Modern State, B. North and R. North, Trans., London: Methuen & Co. and John Wiley & Sons, 1954.
P. Norris, R. W. Frank, and F. Martínez i Coma, “Measuring electoral integrity around the world: A new dataset,” PS: Polit. Sci. Polit., vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 789-798, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10. 1017/S1049096514001061.
D. Malik, K. Tripathi, and Jyotsna, “Enhancing the security of online voting system using defined biometrics,” in Proc. IEEE 3rd Int. Conf. Tech., Eng., Manag. Societal Impact using Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Talent (TEMSMET), Mysuru, India, 2023, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/TEMSMET56707.2023.10150198.
K. F. Hashim et al., “Online political engagement using Twitter among Malaysian parliamentary members,” in Proc. IEEE 7th Int. Conf. Info. and Commun. Technol. (ICoICT), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2019, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/ICoICT.2019.8835321.
A. Delis et al., “Pressing the button for European elections: Verifiable e-voting and public attitudes toward internet voting in Greece,” in Proc. 6th Int. Conf. Electron. Voting: Verifying the Vote (EVOTE), Lochau/Bregenz, Austria, 2014, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/EVOTE.2014. 7001141.
F. Bélanger and L. Carter, “The digital divide and internet voting acceptance,” in Proc. 4th Int. Conf. Digital Soc., Saint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, 2010, pp. 307-310, doi: 10.1109/ICDS.2010.5.
S. S. Chaeikar et al., “Security principles and challenges in electronic voting,” in Proc. IEEE 25th Int. Enterp. Distrib. Object Comput. Workshop (EDOCW), Gold Coast, Australia, 2021, pp. 38-45, doi: 10.1109/EDOCW52865.2021.00030.
I. Singh et al., “Enhancing security and transparency in online voting through blockchain decentralization,” SN Comput. Sci., vol. 5, p. 921, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-024-03286-2.
C.-H. Ho and S.-H. Lin, “Electoral voting protocol - a quorum-based approach for replica control,” in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. Parallel Distrib. Syst. (Cat. No. PR00568), Iwate, Japan, 2000, pp. 463-469, doi: 10.1109/ICPADS.2000.857730.
N. Fauzia et al., “An efficient implementation of electronic election system,” in Proc. 10th Int. Conf. Comput. Inf. Technol., Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2007, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ICCITECHN.2007.4579420.
S. Dinesh Kumar et al., “Theoretical analysis of voting systems,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Commun. Electr. Syst. (ICCES), Coimbatore, India, 2016, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/CESYS.2016.7889932.
D. Stockemer and M. Wigginton, “The (complex) effect of internet voting on turnout: Theoretical and methodological considerations,” Policy & Internet, vol. 16, pp. 607-627, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.393.
S. M. T. Toapanta et al., “Model of shared secret applied to a voting system for the national electoral council of Ecuador,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Comput. Inf. Telecommunication Syst. (CITS), Beijing, China, 2019, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/CITS.2019.8862061.
K. Dommett, G. Kefford, and S. Kruschinski, “Theoretical framework,” Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties: Five Advanced Democracies Compared, Oxford Academic, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197570227.003.0002.
B. J. Alfonsi, “E-voting advocates hold out hope,” IEEE Distributed Syst. Online, vol. 5, no. 3, 2004. [Online]. Available: doi: 10.1109/ MDSO.2004.1285879.
S. M. Toapanta et al., “Ensuring the blind signature for the electoral system in a distributed environment,” in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Power, Intelligent Comput. and Syst. (ICPICS), Shenyang, China, 2020, pp. 211-215, doi: 10.1109/ICPICS50287.2020.9202348.
M. Farhan et al., “Disrupting the ballot box: Blockchain as a catalyst for innovation in electoral processes,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Adv. Computing, Commun., Electr. Smart Syst. (iCACCESS), Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2024, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/iCACCESS61735.2024. 10499541.
W. Salman, V. Yakovlev, and S. Alani, “Analysis of the traditional voting system and transition to the online voting system in the republic of Iraq,” in Proc. 3rd Int. Congr. Hum.-Comput. Interact., Optim. Robotic Appl. (HORA), Ankara, Turkey, 2021, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/ HORA52670.2021.9461387.
G. Jiang and H. Zhang, “Analysis of the driving role of computer science and technology on the development of the Internet of Things,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Comput. Inf. Sci. and Artif. Intell. (CISAI), Kunming, China, 2021, pp. 892-895, doi: 10.1109/CISAI54367. 2021.00179.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Centre for Research and Innovation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
