emmanuelonwukwe/secure-vote

A simple PERN stack project on electronic voting web app. View app https://secure-vote.onrender.com

Electoral Voting Web Application - Secure Vote

StackTrek Capstone Project

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Features
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
• Usage
• Security
• Contributing
• License

Introduction

Securevote is a secure and user-friendly application designed to facilitate electronic voting processes in various contexts, such as elections, surveys, and decision-making within organizations. This app ensures transparency, security, and ease of use, making it an ideal solution for modernizing the voting experience. The app link is secure-vote.onrender.com

Key advantages of the Electronic Voting App include:

• Security: Utilizes advanced encryption techniques to protect the integrity and confidentiality of votes.
• Accessibility: Provides a user-friendly interface that ensures people of all abilities can cast their votes.
• Auditing: Generates detailed logs to facilitate auditing and maintain the transparency of the voting process.
• Customization: Allows administrators to configure voting options, candidates, and settings to suit their specific needs.
• Scalability: Easily scales to accommodate small or large-scale voting events.

Features

User Features

1. User Registration and Authentication: Users can create accounts and log in securely.

2. Voting: Users can cast their votes electronically for candidates or options.

3. Verification: Users can verify the status of their votes to ensure they were counted accurately.

4. Results: Users can view real-time voting results, if authorized by administrators.

Administrator Features

1. Administrator Dashboard: Administrators have access to a dashboard for managing elections and overseeing the voting process.

2. Election Configuration: Administrators can create, configure, and schedule elections, specifying candidates, voting periods, and other settings.

3. Voter Management: Administrators can add, edit, or remove voters and monitor their voting activity.

4. Results Management: Administrators can access and export detailed voting results for analysis and reporting.

5. Security: The app includes robust security features to prevent unauthorized access and protect against tampering.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before setting up the Electronic Voting App, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• Node.js (version 14.0 or higher)
• npm (Node Package Manager)

Installation

1. Clone the repository to your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/emmanuelonwukwe/secure-vote.git

2. Change to the project directory:

   cd secure-vote

3. Install the required dependencies:

    cd server
    npm install

   cd client
   npm install

4. Configure the application by creating a .env file in the server root directory and specifying the following environment variables:

   DATABASE_URL={your postgres database connection url}
   
   APP_ENVIRONMENT={development|production}
   
   SERVER_PORT=3000
   
   JWT_SECRET={your_secret_key}
   

5. Start the application:

   client
   npm run dev
   
   server
   node index.js

6. Access the app in your web browser at http://localhost:5173.

7. Migrate your database tables by visiting this endpoint url http://localhost:3000/api/v1/create-db-tables

Usage

User Usage

1. Registration: Users can create accounts with their personal information.

2. Authentication: Log in securely with your username and password.

3. Voting: Cast your vote in the active elections.

4. Verification: After voting, verify your vote to ensure accuracy.

Administrator Usage

1. Admin Login: Access the admin dashboard using admin credentials.

2. Election Management: Create, configure, and schedule elections from the dashboard.

3. Voter Management: Add, edit, or remove voters as needed.

4. Results Management: Monitor and export voting results for analysis.

Security

Security is a top priority for SecureVote. The following security measures have been implemented:

• Data Encryption: Sensitive data is encrypted using industry-standard encryption algorithms.

• Authentication: User and administrator access is protected using JWT tokens.

• Authorization: Role-based access control ensures that only authorized individuals can perform specific actions.

• Auditing: Detailed logs are generated to track all voting and administrative activities.

• Regular Security Audits: The app undergoes regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the open-source community. If you'd like to contribute to the Electronic Voting App, please Reach out to us.

Authors

• Ochiba Gabriel (https://github.com/gabbyedgar)
• Emmanuel Onwukwe (https://github.com/emmanuelonwukwe)