Blockchain for Violence-Free Student Elections Implementation and Evaluation at UCAD

Abstract

Student elections in African universities are frequently marred by violence and fraud, thereby undermining democratic participation. This paper presents the first blockchain-based voting system specifically designed for student elections at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal. The proposed hybrid architecture combines the Ethereum blockchain to ensure vote immutability, MySQL for user data management, and IPFS for decentralized document storage. The system integrates multi-layer biometric authentication (facial recognition and WebAuthn), an eight-phase automated smart contract, and PySpark for real-time blockchain data analysis. Implementation results demonstrate 100% voting accuracy with the automatic generation of tamper-proof electoral records. The storage of IPFS hashes on the blockchain guarantees document integrity while optimizing storage costs. This solution effectively addresses the recurring electoral violence at UCAD while establishing a reproducible framework for democratic modernization within African higher education institutions.