Purpose: Develop an online platform to manage and conduct college elections, including voter registration, candidate management, voting, and result tallying.
Target Audience: College students, election organizers, and administrative staff.
2. Core Features
User Management:
Registration and Login:
Secure authentication for voters, candidates, and administrators (email/password, multi-factor authentication).
Role-based access control with permissions for different types of users (voter, candidate, admin).
Profile Management:
Users can manage their personal information, election-related details, and voting history.
Voter Management:
Voter Registration:
Allow eligible students to register to vote, including verification of student status and eligibility.
Voter Verification:
Implement verification mechanisms (e.g., student ID, college email) to ensure only eligible voters participate.
Voter List Management:
Maintain and update the list of registered voters and manage voter statuses.
Candidate Management:
Candidate Registration:
Allow students to register as candidates, including submission of their profiles and election manifestos.
Candidate Verification:
Verify candidate eligibility based on college criteria (e.g., current enrollment status, minimum GPA).
Candidate Profiles:
Display candidate information, including profiles, manifestos, and campaign details.
Voting Process:
Ballot Creation:
Create and manage digital ballots with options for different election positions and candidates.
Voting Interface:
Provide an intuitive interface for voters to cast their votes, including candidate selection and confirmation.
Secure Voting:
Implement encryption and security measures to protect the voting process and prevent tampering or fraud.
Results Management:
Vote Tallying:
Automatically tally votes and generate results based on predefined election rules and criteria.
Result Display:
Provide real-time updates and display results in a user-friendly format.
Result Verification:
Allow administrators to review and verify results for accuracy and integrity.
Admin Dashboard:
System Management:
Manage user accounts, election settings, and system configurations.
Election Monitoring:
Monitor election progress, track voting activity, and manage any issues or disputes.
Communication and Notifications:
Alerts and Reminders:
Send notifications to voters about registration deadlines, voting periods, and result announcements.
Feedback Collection:
Collect feedback from users about the voting process and system performance.
Security and Privacy:
Data Security:
Ensure encryption and secure access to voting data and personal information (HTTPS, SSL/TLS).
Privacy Compliance:
Adhere to data protection regulations and ensure voter privacy and confidentiality.
Integration and Testing:
External Integrations:
Integrate with existing college systems or databases if needed.
Testing:
Conduct functional, usability, and security testing of the system.
3. Technical Specifications
Platform: Web-based application with potential mobile app support.
Technology Stack:
Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js).
Backend: Server-side language (e.g., Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails).
Database: SQL (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) or NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB).