The Dynamics of Rejected Ballots in Africa: A Case of Ghana’s Presidential Elections (1992-2020)

Abstract

Elections are a fundamental component of liberal democracy, serving as a reliable method for orderly leadership succession, political authority, and legitimisation—the recent surge in democratic competitive elections across Africa. Nonetheless, the persistent problem of rejected ballots in democratic elections worldwide, especially in Africa, prompted the investigation into this thesis, which centres on Ghana's Fourth Republican presidential elections as a case study. The high number of rejected ballots in elections is a deviant variable that tends to erode the democratic gains chalked by Ghana. The issue has been a subject of interest among scholars and practitioners. These studies are longitudinal and therefore lack regional and constituency dynamics. Against this backdrop, this study comprehensively examines rejected ballots in the constituencies, regions, and national tally of the presidential elections from 1992 to 2020. The theoretical framework of this study expands the discourse on rejected ballots, including their nature and other characteristics. This thesis relies on quantitative and qualitative analytical frameworks to elucidate the dynamics of rejected ballots encountered in the presidential elections within the scope of this study. Microsoft Excel 2013 was used to construct tables and graphs for data analysis on rejected ballots and their electoral outcomes in the studied election periods. Sixteen election elites provided valuable insights into their perspectives on the recurring phenomenon and its effects on electoral outcomes within the period studied. The study revealed intriguing patterns and trends related to rejected ballots during the studied presidential election periods. The study uncovered that the magnitude of rejected ballots encountered is higher in rural constituencies in Ghana than in urban ones, negatively impacting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in their strongholds. Rejected ballots deny some voters electoral participation and inclusivity in choosing leaders, as their votes are not counted, affecting Ghana’s democratic process and electoral integrity.