COVID-19 and Elections: The Case of 2020 General Elections in Ghana

The current COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had significant adverse effect on world democracies, especially elections scheduled this year, 2020. Per constitutional requirement, Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections were held on 7th December, 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

With support from Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP), University of California, Berkley the COVID-19 Small Grants programme, AIDRE is conducting a study on how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the administration, participation, and outcome of Ghana’s 2020 elections. In particular the study focuses on perception of voters towards elections in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic; voters’ behaviours and preferences; and the extent to which COVID-19 affected voter turnout rate. There is a dearth of research on pandemic situations and elections in general, and more particularly the case of COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the proposed research will contribute to knowledge and provide evidence to inform electoral policy decisions in times of crises.

Below is a Presentation on the findings at the EGAP Covid 19 Governance Series.