🗳️ Online Voting System

A secure, web-based voting system built with PHP and MySQL that allows administrators to manage elections and voters to cast their votes electronically.

✨ Features

🔐 Authentication & Security

• Admin Panel: Secure admin interface with session-based authentication
• Voter Authentication: OTP-based verification system for secure voter access
• Password Management: Forgot password functionality with email verification
• Session Security: Protected routes and secure session handling

🏛️ Election Management

• Create Elections: Add new elections with customizable parameters
• Edit Elections: Modify existing election details
• Delete Elections: Remove elections when needed
• Election Status: Automatic status calculation (Active/Inactive) based on dates
• Candidate Management: Add and manage candidates for each election

👥 Voter System

• Voter Registration: Secure voter registration process
• OTP Verification: Two-factor authentication via email
• Voting Interface: User-friendly voting interface
• Vote Validation: Prevents duplicate voting
• Real-time Results: Live election results display

📊 Results & Analytics

• Live Results: Real-time voting results
• Result Visualization: Clear presentation of election outcomes
• Vote Counting: Accurate vote tallying system

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Backend: PHP 7.4+
• Database: MySQL 5.7+
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
• UI Framework: Bootstrap 4
• Email Service: PHPMailer for OTP delivery
• Server: Apache (XAMPP/WAMP)

📋 Prerequisites

Before running this project, ensure you have:

• XAMPP or WAMP server installed
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• MySQL 5.7 or higher
• Apache web server
• Composer (for PHPMailer dependencies)

🚀 Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/onlinevotingsystem.git
cd onlinevotingsystem

2. Install Dependencies

composer install

3. Database Setup

1. Start your XAMPP/WAMP server
2. Open phpMyAdmin: http://localhost/phpmyadmin
3. Create a new database named onlinevotingsystem
4. Import the database schema from assets/onlinevotingsystem.sql file
   • In phpMyAdmin, select your database
   • Click on "Import" tab
   • Choose the SQL file and click "Go"
5. Important: The SQL file contains only table structure (no sample data)

4. Database Configuration

Update the database connection in admin/inc/config.php:

$db = mysqli_connect("localhost", "root", "", "onlinevotingsystem") 
    or die("Connectivity Failed");

5. Email Configuration

Configure PHPMailer settings for OTP delivery in the relevant files:

• forgot_password_request.php
• otp_verification.php
• verify_otp.php

6. Admin Account Setup

Important: By default, all new user accounts are created with user_role = 'Voter'. To access the admin panel, you need to:

1. Register a new account through the voter interface
2. Access phpMyAdmin and go to the users table
3. Edit the user record and change user_role from 'Voter' to 'Admin'
4. Save the changes

Alternative Method (SQL Command):

UPDATE users SET user_role = 'Admin' WHERE username = 'your_username';

7. Access the Application

• Admin Panel: http://localhost/onlinevotingsystem/admin/
• Voter Interface: http://localhost/onlinevotingsystem/

🗄️ Database Schema

Elections Table

CREATE TABLE `elections` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `election_topic` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
  `no_of_candidates` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
  `starting_date` date DEFAULT NULL,
  `ending_date` date DEFAULT NULL,
  `status` varchar(45) DEFAULT NULL,
  `inserted_by` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
  `inserted_on` date DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_general_ci;

Candidate Details Table

CREATE TABLE `candidate_details` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `election_id` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
  `candidate_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
  `party_details` text DEFAULT NULL,
  `candidate_photo` text DEFAULT NULL,
  `inserted_by` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
  `inserted_on` date DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_general_ci;

Users Table

CREATE TABLE `users` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `username` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
  `email` varchar(45) DEFAULT NULL,
  `mobile_number` varchar(45) DEFAULT NULL,
  `password` text DEFAULT NULL,
  `user_role` varchar(45) DEFAULT 'Voter',
  `otp` varchar(45) DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_general_ci;

Votings Table

CREATE TABLE `votings` (
  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `election_id` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
  `voters_id` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
  `candidate_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
  `vote_date` date DEFAULT NULL,
  `vote_time` time DEFAULT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_general_ci;

👨‍💼 Admin Panel Usage

1. Login

• Access: http://localhost/onlinevotingsystem/admin/
• Default credentials: Set during initial setup

2. Manage Elections

• Add Election: Create new elections with start/end dates
• Edit Election: Modify existing election details
• Delete Election: Remove elections (use with caution)

3. Manage Candidates

• Add Candidates: Upload candidate photos and details
• Edit Candidates: Modify candidate information
• View Results: Monitor election progress and results

👤 Voter Interface Usage

1. Registration

• Voters register with email and phone number
• System sends OTP for verification

2. Voting Process

• Login with verified credentials
• Select active elections
• Cast votes for preferred candidates
• View real-time results

🔧 Configuration

Email Settings

Update PHPMailer configuration in the relevant files:

$mail = new PHPMailer(true);
$mail->isSMTP();
$mail->Host = 'smtp.gmail.com';
$mail->SMTPAuth = true;
$mail->Username = 'your-email@gmail.com';
$mail->Password = 'your-app-password';
$mail->SMTPSecure = PHPMailer::ENCRYPTION_STARTTLS;
$mail->Port = 587;

Security Settings

• Update session keys in admin files
• Configure proper file permissions
• Set secure database credentials

🚨 Security Features

• SQL Injection Protection: Prepared statements throughout
• XSS Prevention: Input sanitization and output escaping
• Session Security: Secure session management
• Password Hashing: Secure password storage
• OTP Verification: Two-factor authentication
• Access Control: Role-based access restrictions

📁 Project Structure

onlinevotingsystem/
├── admin/                 # Admin panel files
│   ├── inc/              # Admin includes
│   │   ├── config.php    # Database configuration
│   │   ├── header.php    # Admin header
│   │   ├── navigation.php # Admin navigation
│   │   ├── add_elections.php # Add elections
│   │   ├── editElection.php # Edit elections
│   │   ├── add_candidates.php # Add candidates
│   │   └── viewResults.php # View results
│   └── index.php         # Admin main page
├── voters/                # Voter interface
│   ├── inc/              # Voter includes
│   └── index.php         # Voter main page
├── assets/                # Static assets
│   ├── css/              # Stylesheets
│   ├── js/               # JavaScript files
│   └── images/           # Images and photos
├── vendor/                # Composer dependencies
├── forgot_password_request.php # Password reset
├── otp_verification.php  # OTP verification
├── reset_password.php     # Password reset
├── verify_otp.php        # OTP validation
└── index.php             # Main entry point

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Database Connection Error

   • Verify XAMPP/WAMP is running
   • Check database credentials in config.php
   • Ensure MySQL service is active
   • Note: The database starts empty - you need to create your first admin account

2. Email Not Sending

   • Verify PHPMailer configuration
   • Check SMTP settings
   • Ensure proper email credentials

3. Session Issues

   • Check PHP session configuration
   • Verify file permissions
   • Clear browser cookies

4. File Upload Errors

   • Check upload directory permissions
   • Verify file size limits in PHP configuration
   • Ensure proper file types

🔄 Updates & Maintenance

Regular Maintenance

• Monitor database performance
• Update dependencies regularly
• Backup database and files
• Check error logs

Security Updates

• Keep PHP version updated
• Monitor security advisories
• Regular security audits
• Update third-party libraries

📝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Support

For support and questions:

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Contact: [Your Contact Information]
• Documentation: [Your Documentation URL]

📊 System Requirements

• Server: Apache 2.4+
• PHP: 7.4 or higher
• MySQL: 5.7 or higher
• Memory: Minimum 128MB RAM
• Storage: Minimum 100MB free space
• Browser: Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

🚀 Deployment

Production Deployment

1. Update database credentials
2. Configure production email settings
3. Set proper file permissions
4. Enable HTTPS
5. Configure backup systems
6. Set up monitoring

Docker Deployment (Optional)

FROM php:7.4-apache
COPY . /var/www/html/
RUN docker-php-ext-install mysqli
EXPOSE 80

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Note: This is a development version. For production use, ensure proper security measures, SSL certificates, and regular security audits.