Eligibility

Different voting jurisdictions set different eligibility requirements for candidates to run for office. In partisan election systems, such as those in place for Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the only people eligible to run in a general election are those who have successfully petitioned to be on the ballot. In non-partisan elections, there may be fewer restrictions on those who can be listed on a ballot, with no requirements for party or popular support.

Virtually all electoral systems, whether partisan or non-partisan, have some minimum eligibility requirements to run for office. For example, candidates are generally required to be a certain age. In some jurisdictions, individuals may be eligible to campaign when they reach the age of legal majority, which is often 18. Elsewhere, candidates may need to be older; for example, in Presidential campaigns, candidates must be at least 40 years old.

Eligibility requirements may also vary by political office within a given jurisdiction. The President of Ghana must be a citizen, due to the citizenship clause of the Constitution . There has been some legal debate over what constitutes citizenship, particularly regarding cases where an individual is born outside Ghana to Ghanaian citizens or in cases of adoption. Generally, however, citizenship is understood to include anyone who is entitled to citizenship at birth, even if they are born outside of Ghana. Over the years, all presidential candidates have met the natural born citizenship eligibility requirement because they were born to Ghanaian citizens.

Becoming a Candidate

Candidates for office must meet certain qualifications and are required to file specific documents in order to qualify to appear on the ballot. These qualifications and requirements may vary slightly depending on whether the office sought is a local office, a general assembly seat, or a parliamentary seat. Generally, all candidates must meet the basic qualifications: Be qualified to vote for and hold the office sought

A candidate of a political party or political body will have his or her name placed on the December ballot upon acceptance of his or her nomination paper by the Board of Elections.

Challenges to Nomination Papers
Typically, an individual can challenge the validity of a nomination petition or nomination paper within "few" days of the filing deadline for nomination petitions or nomination papers.

Most challenges focus on the validity of individual signatures on a nomination petition or nomination paper. Typically, signatures are challenged on the basis that the signer was not qualified to sign the candidate’s nomination petition or nomination paper, or the information provided by the signer is illegible. On some occasions, the validity of a signature is challenged on the basis that the signer’s handwriting or signature does not match that contained in the signer’s registration record. Most other challenges are based on the accuracy of the information provided by the candidate on the Candidate’s Affidavit or Statement of Financial Interests.