Blockchain-Powered E-Voting: A Novel Approach to Secure Voter Authentication, Online Voting and Election Automation

Objectives: A blockchain-based E-Voting system shall be designed to secure and make transparent voting through biometric and facial recognition for voter authentication with the help of smart contracts to automate electoral processes. Methods: The research used the Ethereum blockchain technology with smart contracts to automatically schedule elections, register voters, and declare election results. Volunteers controlled information relating to the voter, which included name, email address, phone number, biometrics, and facial images. All this was available for authenticated access. The IPFS contained all this for decentralized and immutable record-keeping. Findings: This E-Voting system is therefore proposed based on enhancing the security as well as the transparency brought about in the electoral processes. Using smart contracts that are developed with Ethereum prevents manipulation and provides integrity regarding data. Studies show the IPFS storage system leads to complete decentralization together with immutability-a critical flaw seen in systems of traditional voting. One can ensure the participation will be done by only voters who are verified, much improvement compared to the level of reliability as well as integrity offered through the various methods applied within the current electoral processes. These study results reinforce blockchain's effectiveness in ensuring that voting applications are secure as well as tamper-proof. Novelty: A blockchain and IPFS-based secure, decentralized voting solution to maintain data integrity and transparency. Keywords: Blockchain, E-Voting, Secure Voter Authentication, Smart Contracts, Online Voting, Election Automation