Strengthening Electoral Trust in the DRC: Evidence from a Multimodal Biometric and RFID Voting Prototype

Abstract

Electoral processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to face concerns related to transparency, voter authentication, and the prevention of duplicate registration and multiple voting. While electronic voting devices have been introduced, persistent operational and credibility challenges indicate that authentication remains a critical weakness in the electoral chain. This study proposes and evaluates a multimodal electoral authentication framework that combines fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, and RFID-enabled voter cards to strengthen voter verification during registration and voting. The study draws on two sources of evidence. First, a survey of 160 Congolese respondents examined perceptions of prior electoral processes and attitudes toward biometric authentication in elections. Second, a functional prototype was developed and assessed through usability testing with 25 participants using the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ). Descriptive results show strong respondent concern regarding the integrity of current electoral safeguards and generally positive attitudes toward biometric-supported voting authentication. Across the prototype tests, fingerprint authentication received the highest overall usability rating, followed by RFID and facial recognition. The findings suggest that multimodal authentication may offer a promising pathway for strengthening electoral verification in high-risk contexts such as the DRC. However, the results should be interpreted as exploratory given the limited usability sample and controlled testing environment. The study contributes a context-sensitive technical framework and empirical baseline for future electoral technology research and pilot implementation.