Intelligent Digital Voting System Using ESP32 with Biometrics and Camera Based Authentication Framework

Abstract

The growing demand for secure and transparent electoral systems has intensified due to increasing concerns over election fraud, with reports indicating that digital and identity-based fraud impacts millions of voting processes globally, while e-governance and smart voting technologies are projected to grow at over 18% annually. These environments require tamper-proof mechanisms, efficient monitoring, and rapid fraud detection to ensure fairness and accuracy. Traditional voting systems, whether paper-based or basic electronic machines, are prone to issues such as identity fraud, vote manipulation, lack of transparency, and delayed result processing. Furthermore, conventional systems lack multi-layer authentication, real-time alerts, and centralized monitoring, making them vulnerable to unauthorized activities. To overcome these limitations, the proposed biometric and CAM based Evoting system utilizes the ESP32 microcontroller to implement a secure, IoT-enabled voting framework with predictive fraud prevention. The system integrates RFID authentication, fingerprint biometric verification, and camera-based monitoring to ensure multi-factor voter validation. A keypad-based interface allows users to cast votes, while an LCD provides real-time guidance and feedback. Suspicious activities such as unauthorized access or repeated attempts trigger buzzer alerts and instant SMS notifications via a GSM module, with all events logged on the IoT platform for analysis. Real-time vote updates and secure result dissemination enhance transparency, while a controlled polling switch ensures proper election closure. This intelligent system significantly improves election security, prevents fraud, and provides a reliable, scalable solution for modern digital voting systems.