International Journal of Science and Knowledge ISSN: 2322-195X Vol. 1; No. 1; 17-30; (2012) Electronic Voting: A Panacea for electoral irregularities in developing countries A.J. Jegede 1 * G.I.O. Aimufua 2 and N.I. Akosu 3 1 Department of Mathematics, University of Jos, Nigeria 2 Department of Mathematical Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria 3 Department of Computer Science, Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, Nigeria Email: nkasiobisilasoguzor@yahoo.com Abstract his study deals with the use of information technology to handle electoral processes starting from voters and candidates registration to the actual casting and counting of ballots. The paper discussed the potential benefits and risks of electronic voting technology as well as desirable characteristics of voting systems. This study concludes with the design and implementation of an electronic voting system by using cutting edge programming development tools. Key Words: data flow diagram, election, electronic voting, system flow diagram, voting Introduction lection is the only acceptable means of selecting representatives in a democratic setting. This is because the electoral process ensures that representatives are selected by the majority and not by a ‘powerful’ few who may not represent the overall interest and aspiration of the people. Moreover, every voter is interested in ensuring that his vote, which represents his voice in the democratic process, counts in a way that agrees with his intentions. Further, the concern of every voter is to have confidence in the mechanisms by which their votes are counted, failing which the legitimacy of elections is called into question. However, as attractive and laudable as the electoral process is, it has been a great challenge for the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America to conduct reliable elections whose results are generally accepted by their people. This had led to protests, which in some cases were violent resulting in loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties. Many promising democracies in these countries have been truncated because of crises that arose from electoral disputes. Some of these countries have been plunged into serious political unrests, which in some cases culminated in civil wars with the attendant security, social, economic and humanitarian problems. For example, the political unrests that followed the 1964 elections in Nigeria led to the military take over on January 15, 1966 and the counter coup of July 29, 1966, which triggered a chain of events, which culminated in the civil war of 1967 to 1970. The political crisis, which engulfed the western part of Nigeria in 1983, also left death and loss of properties on its trail. This and other factors led to the military takeover of 1983. Some other countries of Africa also have their tales of electoral woes. In 2008, the political and economic stability hitherto enjoyed by Kenya and Zimbabwe was disrupted by a series of violent protests because of disagreements over the presidential elections, which took place in these countries during the year. The few cases presented here represent a figment of electoral challenges that is a bane of democracy in developing countries. It is therefore imperative to evolve a reliable and generally acceptable electioneering mechanism that will boost the confidence of voters in the electoral process and ultimately guarantee the legitimacy and wide acceptability T E