How Paid Voting Works for Pageants and Awards

Paid voting is how most pageants, awards and talent shows in Ghana raise money while letting the public choose a winner: each vote costs a small amount, and a supporter can vote as often as they like. Here is what actually happens on TechWorld Voting System between a supporter deciding to vote and the vote appearing in the count.

On the website

1. The supporter opens the event page, finds the nominee and taps Vote.
2. They choose how many votes to buy (or a bulk package, if the organiser offers one) and enter their Mobile Money number.
3. A payment prompt appears on their phone. They approve it with their Mobile Money PIN.
4. Once the payment provider confirms the payment, the votes are added to the nominee. The supporter gets a receipt with a transaction reference.

By USSD

1. The supporter dials *920*112# on any network.
2. They choose the event and enter the nominee's code, then the number of votes.
3. They approve the Mobile Money prompt. The votes count once the payment is confirmed.

USSD works on any phone, without internet, which matters for reaching supporters outside big towns.

Why "confirmed payment" matters

A vote that is not backed by a confirmed payment is not counted. This protects organisers from inflated tallies and protects contestants from disputes. If a supporter is unsure whether their vote went through, they can look up the transaction on the Verify Transaction page.

What organisers control

• The price per vote and any bulk packages
• When voting opens and closes
• Whether web voting, USSD voting, or both are available
• Whether vote counts are public during voting, hidden until the end, or kept for the organisers only

Good practice

• State the price per vote clearly on posters and social media.
• Publish the voting dates and stick to them.
• Tell supporters how to check a payment, so problems are easy to resolve.
• Decide in advance how ties and disputes will be handled, and say so.