Design and Implementation of a Secure and Transparent E-Voting System Using Blockchain Technology and Hybrid Encryption; the case of Africa

Ensuring the security, integrity, and openness of elections is a major concern in many African nations where voter fraud, tampering, and logistical inefficiencies frequently afflict traditional voting procedures. In order to overcome these obstacles, this article proposes a transparent and safe electronic voting system tailored to the distinct context of African countries. With each vote being recorded as an irreversible transaction on a decentralized ledger, the proposed system makes use of blockchain technology to create an immutable and transparent voting process. Because this method does away with the requirement for a central authority, there is less chance of tampering and also ensuring an audit trail that can be independently verified. This can increase confidence in the election process. The system adds another level of security by using the Elgamal asymmetric encryption scheme to encrypt the symmetric key and a fast, safe symmetric encryption scheme called ChaCha20-Poly1305 to encrypt vote data. While preserving the efficiency required for large-scale national elections, this hybrid solution guarantees the anonymity and integrity of votes. To make sure that only qualified voters may participate, the system has strong voter authentication features, such as multi-factor authentication. Offering both online and offline voting alternatives to promote accessibility and also to suit the technological and infrastructure limitations that are frequently seen in African countries. With the use of this electronic voting system, African nations will have access to a cutting-edge, safe, and effective platform for holding elections, boosting the legitimacy of democracy and promoting increased political stability throughout the continent.