The Electronic Voting Technology Politics Essay

The Electronic Voting Technology Politics Essay Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes. An electronic voting (E-Voting) system is a voting system in which the election data is recorded, stored and processed primarily as digital information. Electronic voting technology can include remote internet voting system, optical scan voting systems and specialized voting kiosk [1]. Sanjay et al (May 2011) also define e-voting as any system where voters cast their vote using an electronic system instead of paper ballot. Sanjay further explained that this electronic vote which is stored digitally is transferred from voting system to a counting system [11]. E-Voting can be seen as a better form of voting as it eliminates several drawbacks in the traditional voting system. But Randolph C (2004) explain that even though e-voting system plays important part in the general election process, there are several other important factors that will contribute to the overall success of an election and this include processes, people and technology[17]. The current method of voting during general elections in Ghana is through paper base voting which comes with a lot of problems ranging from delay in voting resulting in long queues, spoilt votes due to wrong thumb-printing and delay in declaring results. Ghana has held eight (8) successful presidential elections after independence, but always issue of vote rigging and the credibility of the results becomes an issue[13][30]. These concerns arise from the fact that people dont have trust in the current paper base voting system. The current paper base system is perceived to give room for manipulation of votes by officials at various polling stations and also at the collation centers [13]. Also other issues faced with paper-based voting in Ghana are the perception of political opponents stuffing the ballot boxes with already voted ballot papers, and delay in counting after vote has ended. These concerns are the main initiator for the investigation into a possible electronic voting system implementation for subsequent elections in Ghana. Electronic voting if well designed and tested will try to alleviate these problems and perceptions, and reduce or do away completely with spoilt votes which in most cases, the percentage of spoilt ballot papers are more that the percentage received by some of the Presidential candidates[38]. E-Voting has been attracting a lot of interest in the country and has been a subject for discussion in various media during the past years. The interest of E-Voting is spreading across many sectors of the society, notably University and Polytechnic institutions where SRC elections are mostly conducted electronically through Electronic Voting System. As stated in Aviel D. Rubin February 27, 2004 report, elections allows the citizen to select their people who they deem fit to represent them. Naturally, the integrity of the election process is fundamental to the integrity of democracy itself. He further stated that any system that is design for election must be a system that can withstand any attack, and also must be a system which the voters can accept and the various candidates can accept the election results without any dispute [2]. But most often elections are being manipulated in order to influence their outcome. The design of a good voting system, whether electronic or using traditional paper ballots must satisfy a number of sometimes competing criteria. The anonymity of a voters ballot must be preserved, both to guarantee the voters safety when voting against a malevolent candidate, and to guarantee that voters have no evidence that proves which candidates received their votes. The voting system must also be tamper-resistant to prevent a wide range of attacks, including ballot stuffing by voters and incorrect tallying by insiders. The main aim of the research is to investigate and come out with the most feasible and acceptable electronic voting system and improve upon the current design for national elections in Ghana taking into consideration our current ICT infrastructural or ICT penetration in Ghana. Problem Statement Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) has conducted six (6) elections since the fourth republic, and in each of these instances we have been faced with challenges of bloated electoral register resulting into some voters voting more than once. There have been several reforms to ensure a credible voter register [3]. But after all these reforms multiple voting still exists. Secondly, our current paper base voting comes with several challenges which include the following: Delay in vote counting after vote has ended at polling stations Voters travelling long distance to polling stations to vote Low voter turnout as a result of voters queuing for long period at polling stations Multiple Voting Tampering of voting results High percentage of spoil ballot papers due to wrong thumb printing Overall cost of electoral materials (ballot boxes, ballot papers etc) The main focus of this research is to investigate and come out with suitable electronic voting system and improve upon the existing features for our national elections to curb these challenges. The research will investigate the suitability of remote electronic voting systems like internet voting and or voting electronically at various polling stations using a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) something called a voting kiosk. Objective of the study The main objectives of this research is to investigate and discover the various methods of e-voting system that can be implemented for national elections, give a wide overview on the potential benefits and associated challenges in implementing Electronic Voting (E-Voting) in the Countrys general elections. The study has the following specific objectives: To identify the various e-voting system that will be feasible to implement for our national elections To find out which of these methods is more acceptable by the voting populace To improve upon the accepted e-voting system To examine the potential challenges that are likely to surface for each implementation Research Questions: What are various E-Voting Systems that can be implemented for National Elections? What will be the preferred e-voting methods for voters? What improvement or enhancement can be added to the preferred e-voting system? What are the potential benefits associated in implementing Electronic Voting (E-Voting) in the Countrys general elections? What are the associated challenges in implementing Electronic Voting (E-Voting) in the Countrys general elections? Significance of the study Implementing electronic voting system for national elections will reduce drastically the amount of resources we spent on manual voting systems [11]. It will also increase voter turnouts and delays in vote counting and declaration of results. It will also eliminate multiple voting and tampering of voting results. Voters will not have to travel a longer distance to a voting center to cast his/her vote; it will not require geographical proximity of the voters. Scope of the study This research is to investigate and improve on the current E-Voting systems that can be implemented for Ghana general elections, but considering the limited time and resources available I will focus on Internet Voting system and Direct Online Voting at polling Stations (Voting Kiosk). I intend to limit the scope of the research to the voters around the regional capitals only and Internet security expert and System Developers from Expresso Telecom Organization of the study The research work is organized into five (5) chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the introduction, the background of the study, problem statement, the objectives of the study, the significance, and scope of the study and the proposed methodology of the study. Chapter 2 of this thesis is a literature reviews some of the various methods of electronic voting techniques which have been used during elections around the world. The methods I employed to collect information about various e-voting systems are described in Chapter 3, and the results of this information collection and the responses to this survey which were received is presented in Chapter 4, analysis of the Case study is presented in Chapter 5 and the conclusions drawn from those results are summarized in Chapter 5.

Lorraine Hansberry Essay -- essays research papers

Her first play, A Raisin In the Sun, is based on her childhood experiences of desegregating a white neighborhood. It won the New York Drama Critic's Circle Award as Best Play of the Year. She was the youngest American, the fifth woman and the first black to win the award. Her success opened the floodgates for a generation of modern black actors and writers who were influenced and encouraged by her writing. Hansberry was born in 1930, the youngest of four children of Carl and Nannie Hansberry, a respected and successful black family in Chicago, Illinois. Nannie was the college educated daughter of an African Methodist Episcopal minister, and Carl was a successful real estate businessman, an inventor and a politician who ran for congress in 1940. Both parents were activists challenging discriminating Jim Crow Laws. Because of their stature in the black community such important black leaders as Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, and Langston Hughes frequented the Hansberry home as Lorraine was growing up. Although they could afford good private schools, Lorraine was educated in the segregated public schools as her family worked within the system to change the laws governing segregation. After high school Hansberry briefly attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison before moving to New York for "an education of another kind." She married Robert Nemiroff, a white Jewish intellectual who she met on a picket line protesting the exclusion of black athletes from universi...

Personal Experience Essay

Life is full of adventures and experiences. The key to living well is making these experiences as meaningful as possible. I went through a very significant experience, which was actually more of a risk, about two years ago. I was 15 years old and I had to decide whether I would stay in my hometown or move to Monterrey, Mexico. As in every dilemma faced, there are pros and cons that will try to sway you. Time wouldn’t stop and the day of my decision was getting closer and closer; the less time I had to decide, the more confused and undecided I became. All I could do was imagine myself living the future in my hometown or in Monterrey. But, why was I put into this situation? Should I have stayed where I was born and where I’d lived my whole life or would the best thing be to move to an entirely new city? My family once consisted of my mom, my dad, two older brothers, and me. Unfortunately, my dad passed away in December of 2007 when I was twelve years old. Monterrey is a c ity characterized by having many foreign students because of the highly recognized university, Tec de Monterrey (ITESM). Both of my brothers decided to study there. This left a lonely house with only a widowed mother and a teenage girl. That was the moment I realized we needed to do something, having me make the decision of my life with the pressure of time. I was born and raised in Matamoros, Mexico, which is a border town with Brownsville, Texas. Having my student passport, I studied there my whole life. I had many friends living in both Matamoros and Brownsville. This was a major factor on my decision because I didn’t want to leave them and, in Monterrey, I didn’t know anyone. The thing was that in Matamoros, every corner of my house, every street, and every part of the city would only remind me of my dad who was already in Heaven. To me, this was a kind of torture. I had to either leave my friends and start a new life, or stay there with everyone’s support, but constantly having to deal with the suffering of not being able to let go of my dad because of my surroundings. I knew moving to Monterrey was a very good idea, but like everything, it had its negative views as well. It would be a good thing to move because my mom and I would now live with my brothers and we would all be united like we were before. This new beginning would help us overcome the death of my dad. The bad part was that, as I was about to enter high school, moving to Monterrey without knowing anyone would be very difficult. I had always studied in the USA, so attending a school in Mexico would probably lower my grades and make things more complicated. It was all about taking the r isk. Decision time was near. After I analyzed everything, I understood that the best thing I could was to move to Monterrey with my mom. This was a very significant experience because it really impacted me. The first semester was very hard as I felt all alone. As soon as I began making friends, however I realized I couldn’t have made a better decision. People in Monterrey are very humble and caring. They taught me many things, enabling me to become a better person with better feelings. These friends were the ones who pulled me closer to God when I most needed Him. There was no better feeling than getting home and seeing my brothers living with me again. My family was once again united, and I am very grateful for all of this. View as multi-pages

Cosmetic Surgery Sacrificing The True You For A New You

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