What To Know About The Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission



The Electoral Commission is an independent body. The electoral commission regulates political funding and spending and set standards for well-run elections. The Electoral Commission:

• register political parties

• make sure people understand and follow the rules on
party and election finance

• publish details of where parties and candidates get
money from and how they spend it

• set the standards for electoral registration and running
elections and report on how well this is done

• make sure people understand that it is important to
register to vote, and know how to vote.

The Electoral Commission produces guidance for candidates
and parties standing for election.

We reiterate, the Electoral Commission is an independent body. EC's aim is integrity and public confidence in the democratic process. The Electoral Commission regulates party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections.

The Electoral Commission is an independent body. The Electoral Commission reports to the relevant Governments on recommendations for change that they have identified.
The electoral commission have a strong interest in simplifying and updating the procedures used by candidates to stand for election in Ghana. The electoral commission last reviewed the rules around standing for election recently, after which a number of recommendations were
taken forward by the Ghana Government.

This report gives an updated view of
these issues, including reporting on responses to a new consultation paper published recently.
The following aspects of standing for election were within the scope of the
consultation document:

• Qualifications and disqualifications

• Deposits and subscribers

• Candidate benefits, including candidate mailings, broadcasts, access to the register, free use of rooms, descriptions and emblems

• Procedural issues, including the use of candidate photographs on ballot
papers, delivering and objecting to nomination papers.

The electoral commission sought views from a range of people and organisations including elected representatives, political parties, electoral administrators and candidates who have stood for election. Around 100 responses were received from a range of individuals, organisations and groups.

The responsibility and entitlements of those standing for election are set out in law, and they vary depending on the election. Many of these rules have been in place for many years, and questions have been raised about whether they are still appropriate. Some of these have been highlighted in the commission’s statutory reports on elections, including:

1. The value of the
subscribers system (also known as signatures or assenters).

2.The size and variation in deposits; the rules on access to the electoral register.

3. The clarity of qualification and disqualification criteria; and the prohibition on independent candidates using descriptions on the ballot paper.

While the rules on standing for election are of most direct interest to potential candidates and political parties, they are also important for voters since they help determine the range of candidates available to them. The rules should also inspire confidence in elections amongst voters, candidates and parties.

To assess the robustness of the laws and procedures relating to standing for election, The electoral commission have used the following set of principles:

• Clear election law – the rules on standing for election should be clear,
straightforward and unambiguous.

• Encourage participation – processes should be accessible and transparent to promote the widest participation. There should be no unnecessary barriers to standing for election.

• Fair and equal treatment – fair and equal treatment should be ensured
between all candidates, save where differences are genuinely justified.

• Trust – rules should inspire confidence amongst voters.

• Consistency of approach – as far as possible the rules on standing for
election should be consistently set so they are easy to understand and
any differences between them should reflect conscious policy choices by
the relevant legislature.

• Up to date – the rules on standing for election should reflect current
technology and the expectations of candidates, agents, political parties,
voters and those administering elections.

The Electoral Commission used these principles to assess the appropriateness of the current
arrangements, drawing on the evidence submitted through the consultation. During the review they have been able to identify some areas where relatively straightforward changes to the law could be made. However, in some other areas the issues and law relating to standing for election are very complex.

Their recommendations make clear where this is the case and it will be
important for further work to be done by the relevant policy makers before any changes are made to the law.

A summary of their analysis and conclusions is set out below.

Qualifications and disqualifications

To stand for election in Ghana, a person must be qualified and also not be disqualified. A core set of qualifications relating to age and nationality apply to all elections.

Additional qualifications relating to demonstrating a local connection apply at local elections. Similarly, certain individuals are disqualified from standing for election, with different sets of criteria applying at different elections.

In addition, some people are disqualified from standing in some elections because of a post that they hold. Respondents to the consultation were of the view that qualification and
disqualification criteria should be clearly set out. There was consensus that the rules could be simpler with greater consistency between elections.
Specific queries were raised about particular aspects of the qualifications and disqualifications rules.

The Electoral Commission agrees that the qualifications and disqualifications criteria require review, and that candidates would benefit from increased clarity in the rules. They do not think however that it would be appropriate or possible to have one set of criteria applying to all elections, since there are good reasons for qualifications and disqualifications to vary depending on the election.

This is a complex area and it will be important for a range of issues to be
taken into account before any changes to the law are proposed by the relevant policy makers. Consultation with representatives of local government, electoral administrators and Returning Officers on the detail of any changes will be particularly important.

How to become a validly nominated candidate

You will need to become a validly nominated candidate, which means your name will appear on a ballot paper. To do this you need to submit a completed set of nomination forms along with a deposit before the deadline day for nominations.

All candidates need to appoint an election agent, who is the person responsible for the management of your election campaign and its financial management. If you do not appoint an agent, you will become your own agent by default.