Abstract:

In this paper we present a simulation model for a multifaceted online e-Voting system. The proposed model is capable of handling electronic ballots with multiple scopes at the same time, e.g., presidential, municipal, and parliamentary, amongst others. The model caters for integrity of an election process in terms of the functional and non-functional requirements. The functional requirements embedded in the design of the proposed system warrant well-secured identification and authentication processes for the voter through the use of combined simple biometrics. The design of the system guarantees that no votes in favor of a given candidate are lost, due to improper tallying of the voting counts, with the proper incorporation of system FLAG’s. Transparency of voting follows through in all phases of an election process to assure the voter that his/her vote went in favor of his/her candidate of choice. Besides its main functional properties, the proposed system is designed to cater for several essential non-functional requirements. Of utmost importance are the requirements for correctness, robustness, coherence, consistency, and security. To verify the robustness and reliability of the proposed system, intensive computer simulations were run under varying voting environments, viz. voter density, voter inter-arrival times, introduced acts of malice, etc. Results of the simulations show the impact of several parameters on the performance of the system. These results provide the proper grounds that would guide the decision maker in customizing the proposed system to fit his particular voting needs.