Voting in Ghana: voter registration and election day procedures

Elections in Ghana are conducted by the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC), an independent constitutional body. The President and Members of Parliament are elected every four years; the most recent general election was held on 7 December 2024. Voter eligibility: Ghanaian citizens aged 18 and above who are of sound mind and not in lawful custody. Eligible voters must register at an EC registration centre with their Ghana Card during a publicised registration window. On election day, voters present themselves at the polling station listed on the voter register; the presiding officer verifies identity using the biometric verification device (BVD); the voter receives ballot papers, marks them in secret behind the polling booth using the thumbprint, folds the ballots and drops them in the corresponding ballot boxes. The voter's finger is then inked. Counting is done at the polling station in the presence of party agents; results are recorded on a pink form (collation sheet) signed by all agents.