Frequently Asked Questions

The National Online Voting System (NOVS) is an academic prototype. It is designed to simulate how digital elections could be conducted in Bhutan to increase accessibility for citizens living abroad or in remote areas.

Please note: This is a simulation only. [cite_start]Votes cast here do not count towards any official government election[cite: 518, 519].

Eligibility is determined by the Mock Voter Registry. When you log in, the system automatically checks:

• If your account is valid.
• If you are assigned to a specific constituency.
[cite_start]
• If you have already cast a vote (to prevent duplicates)[cite: 565, 593].

If you see an "Eligibility Error," please contact the System Administrator.

To ensure election integrity, the system strictly enforces Constituency-Based Access.

[cite_start]

You will only see the ballot for the constituency you are registered in. This mimics the real-world rule where citizens can only vote for candidates in their specific region[cite: 566, 567].

Yes, your vote is anonymous. We use a method called Hashing.

When you submit your ballot, the system creates a unique digital "fingerprint" (hash) of your vote. This hash is stored in the database without any direct link to your personal identity. [cite_start]This ensures that even administrators cannot see who you voted for[cite: 568, 232].

No. The system follows the One-Person-One-Vote principle.

Once you click "Submit," your vote is final and instantly recorded. [cite_start]Any subsequent attempts to vote will be blocked by the system and logged as a security event[cite: 568].

Results are not real-time. The election follows a strict timeline:

1. Voting Phase: Users cast votes.
2. Tallying Phase: The system automatically counts votes after the election window closes.
3. Publication: Administrators review and then "Publish" the results.

[cite_start]

Once published, you can view the breakdown on your dashboard[cite: 569, 570, 571].

Observers are special users with Read-Only Access. [cite_start]They ensure transparency by being able to view Audit Logs and Election Results, but they cannot vote, edit data, or interfere with the election configuration[cite: 538, 183].