How to Organise an Online Voting Competition in Ghana

Online voting lets supporters back their favourite contestant from anywhere in Ghana, while the organiser raises funds and keeps a clear record of every vote. Whether you are running a beauty pageant, an awards night, a talent show or a school or church competition, the work falls into the same few steps.

1. Decide what people are voting for

Write down your categories (for example "Best Female Vocalist" or "Miss Congeniality") and the nominees in each. Every nominee should have a clear photo and the exact spelling of their name. On TechWorld Voting System each nominee also gets a short nominee code, which supporters use to vote by USSD and which is easy to print on flyers.

If contestants should apply themselves, open online registration: they submit their details and photo, and you approve them before they appear on the voting page.

2. Set the price and the voting window

• Price per vote. Choose an amount your audience can afford to repeat. Lower prices usually mean more votes from more people.
• Bulk packages (optional). Let supporters buy several votes at once.
• Voting dates. Set a clear opening and closing time. Voting stops automatically at the closing time, and the event page shows a countdown.

3. Make voting easy for everyone

Not every supporter has data or a smartphone. Offer both:

• Web voting — supporters open your event page, tap Vote under a nominee and pay with Mobile Money.
• USSD voting — supporters dial *920*112# on any network, choose your event, enter the nominee code and approve the Mobile Money prompt.

In both cases a vote counts only after the payment is confirmed, and supporters can check a payment on the Verify Transaction page.

4. Decide who sees the results, and when

Some organisers show running totals to build excitement; others keep results hidden until the end to protect the suspense. Decide this before you launch and tell contestants, so nobody is surprised. You can keep results private to the organisers, hide them until voting closes, or publish them.

5. Launch and promote

Share the event link and each nominee's code on WhatsApp, social media and posters. Encourage contestants to campaign with their own code. During voting, watch votes and payments from your organiser dashboard.

6. Close and announce

When voting closes, review the results, then announce them at your event or publish them online. Keep your records: every paid vote is linked to a confirmed transaction, which makes it easy to answer questions afterwards.

A short checklist

• Categories and nominees with photos and correct names
• Price per vote, optional bulk packages, opening and closing times
• Web and USSD voting switched on
• Results visibility decided and communicated
• Event link and nominee codes shared with contestants