E-Voting in Nigeria: A Survey of Voters' Perception of Security and Other Trust Factors

Abstract

In March and April, 2015, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, elections were conducted, using partial electronic voting means. Specifically, smart card readers were utilized for accreditation of prospective voters. While the 2015 election exercise was adjudged the best ever in the history of the country, it was not without challenges. One of these was the failure, in many instances, of the readers to authenticate eligible voters. This study was aimed at collating the perception by voters of security and four other factors capable of influencing their trust the use e-voting system. Using questionnaire, the data collated from 306 participants were analyzed. Majority of the participants were male (63.7%), students (40.8%), within the ages of 18 and 24 years (39.5%), and intermediate in their IT proficiency level (50.3%). The study reveals that the proposed factors enhance voters’ trust. Demographic differences were also found to affect the perception of the proposed factors. If the country plans to deploy full-fledged e-voting mechanism for future elections, voter education, with emphasis on voters with low IT literacy and the elderly, must be given due attention.