Enhancing Voter Participation in Indonesia Through a Web-Based Election and Campaign System

In democratic societies, the integrity and transparency of political elections are vital to ensuring public trust and inclusive participation. However, traditional election practices in Indonesia often encounter significant challenges, including votebuying, information asymmetry, and logistical constraints, especially during mass gatherings or public health emergencies. This study aims to develop a web-based election platform designed to enhance campaign transparency and facilitate secure digital political engagement in Indonesia. The research focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of an online system that allows candidates to disseminate campaign materials and interact with voters, while enabling citizens to access reliable political information and participate in elections remotely. The system architecture was modeled using use case and class diagrams, and the application was built using the Laravel 7 framework and Bootstrap for responsive design. MySQL was employed as the back-end database to manage user, candidate, and campaign data securely. The platform features user authentication through National Identity Numbers (NIK), interactive forums, real-time voting, and candidate rating functionalities. Initial testing and prototype deployment indicated improved accessibility, reduced campaign costs, and greater user engagement, particularly among younger voters. The findings suggest that such digital platforms can serve as viable tools to reduce electoral fraud and information disparity. This work contributes to the field of e-governance and civic technology by demonstrating how web-based solutions can support transparent, inclusive, and secure democratic processes in developing nations.