Development of a Computer-Based Voting System for IMT Enugu Student Union Government Elections

Student union government elections in Nigerian tertiary institutions have historically been associated with electoral malpractice, ballot stuffing, result manipulation, and post-election disputes that disrupt academic activities and erode student confidence in institutional governance. At the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, paper-based voting methods remain in use, presenting significant vulnerabilities to electoral fraud and logistical inefficiency. This study developed a computer-based voting system designed to conduct transparent, secure, and efficient student union government elections at IMT Enugu. The system was built using PHP, MySQL, and a web-based interface secured with student matriculation number authentication and one-time password (OTP) verification to ensure voter eligibility and prevent multiple voting. Candidate registration, ballot configuration, voting session management, and automated result tabulation were incorporated as core system modules. Security features including session timeout controls, vote encryption, and audit log generation were implemented to safeguard electoral integrity. System testing using a mock election involving volunteer student participants confirmed that the platform accurately recorded votes, prevented duplicate submissions, and produced real-time result tallies upon election closure. Participants praised the speed and simplicity of the voting process relative to the conventional paper ballot. The study concluded that a computer-based voting system would substantially improve the credibility and efficiency of student union elections at IMT Enugu, and that its adoption could serve as a model for other polytechnics in Enugu State seeking to modernise student electoral processes.

Keywords: electronic voting, student union, IMT Enugu, electoral integrity, web-based system