Lawyer Advocates for Voter Education to Reduce Rejected Ballots

As Ghana prepares for the 2024 general elections in December, Professor Stephen Kweku Asare, a legal scholar, constitutional activist, and fellow in public law and justice at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has called for intensified voter education to combat the persistent challenge of rejected ballots.

His remarks emphasized the need for targeted measures to ensure voter understanding and improve election outcomes.

According to Prof. Asare, Ghana’s history of rejected ballots highlights a concerning pattern, underscoring the need for continuous improvement in voter education.

“In 1992, rejected ballots constituted 3.6% of valid votes cast. This percentage dropped significantly in 1996 to 1.53%, demonstrating an improvement in voter understanding and ballot execution. However, in 2000, the figure rose slightly to 1.8%” Professor Stephen Kweku Asare, Legal Scholar, Constitutional Activist and CDD-Ghana Fellow in Public Law and Justice.

Professor Kweku Asare further revealed that the worrying spike occurred in the 2004 elections when rejected ballots increased to 2.13% with the upward trajectory persisted in the subsequent 2008 and 2012 elections, with percentages reaching 2.4% and 2.3%, respectively.

He indicated that although the 2016 elections marked an improvement, with rejected ballots dropping to 1.54%, the 2020 elections saw another surge, with the percentage climbing to 2.33%—the second-highest in the period under review.

Ongoing Challenges

Prof. Asare argued that these fluctuations in the rate of rejected ballots reflect an ongoing challenge that demands urgent attention.

“We must do more to reduce the percentage of rejected ballots,” he emphasized, setting an ambitious target of reducing rejected ballots to under 1% in future elections.

He attributed much of the problem to gaps in voter education and ballot design, which he believes can be addressed through a combination of measures.

“Strengthening voter education campaigns is critical,” he stated, advocating for a nationwide effort to teach voters how to properly complete ballots.

Prof. Asare emphasized that a targeted voter education program could help reduce errors that often lead to ballots being rejected.

In addition to education, Prof. Asare highlighted the need for ballot design improvements, asserting that a clearer, more intuitive ballot design could significantly reduce confusion among voters.

Simplifying the layout and instructions on the ballot paper, he believes, would make it easier for voters to cast their votes correctly, minimizing mistakes that lead to invalidation.