Digital voting is about more than putting a ballot on a website
Ghana’s voting culture is changing.
Across awards, dinner events, pageants, reality shows, student organisations, entertainment events, professional associations and community initiatives, organisers are increasingly moving away from paper ballots, manual vote counting and disconnected voting processes.
The shift reflects changing audience behaviour. People already register for events online, make payments through mobile money, follow contestants on social media and interact with brands and creators through their phones. Voting is increasingly becoming part of the same digital experience.
However, digital voting is not simply about putting a ballot on a website. It also requires accessibility, reliable infrastructure and systems that organisers can use to manage campaigns, votes and results.
That is where BuddyVotes has positioned itself in Ghana’s growing e-voting market.
In 2026, the platform supports online and USSD voting for awards, pageants, schools, reality shows, clubs, unions, dinner events and other public voting campaigns.
BuddyVotes operates in Ghana and Nigeria, with technology designed to support different markets, currencies and payment environments.
The platform says more than 100,000 unique people have participated in voting events powered by BuddyVotes. The company has documented the milestone and its experience serving the growing number of participants.
But the bigger question is why organisers and audiences are increasingly turning to digital voting.
Why e-voting is growing in Ghana
Traditional voting still has its place, but managing votes manually can become difficult when an awards scheme has dozens of nominees, a pageant attracts supporters from different regions, or a school needs to manage thousands of voters.
For organisers, reliability and transparency are key considerations.
E-voting platforms allow organisers to create campaigns, manage categories and nominees, accept votes, monitor participation and manage results within a single system.
For voters, digital platforms provide the opportunity to participate remotely, making them increasingly relevant to awards, pageants, school competitions, entertainment events and community initiatives.
However, Ghana's market presents a particular challenge: not everyone wants to vote through a website.
Online vs USSD voting in Ghana
The preferred voting method depends largely on the audience.
Online voting offers convenience and can provide a more detailed experience for smartphone users. It can allow voters to browse nominees, read profiles and participate through a website.
It can also make it easier for Ghanaians living abroad to participate in local voting events.
USSD voting addresses a different need. It allows people to vote without requiring a smartphone or internet connection.
According to BuddyVotes’ analysis of USSD and online voting, 73.5% of transactions analysed came through USSD, while 26.5% came through online voting. The company also reported 99.983% uptime across the infrastructure covered by the analysis.
The figures suggest that digital voting in Ghana cannot be treated as smartphone-only participation.
Some voters may have limited access to mobile data, while others may use basic phones or simply find USSD quicker and more familiar.
For organisers seeking broader participation, supporting both channels can therefore be useful.
How to get a USSD code for awards voting in Ghana
Awards organisers looking to introduce USSD voting do not necessarily need to build their own telecommunications and payment infrastructure.
An alternative is to use an e-voting platform that provides the required technology.
BuddyVotes offers both online and USSD voting, allowing organisers to run campaigns while giving audiences different ways to participate.
This can be useful for awards and pageants where voters are spread across different regions and have varying levels of internet access.
However, the USSD code is only one part of the system. The USSD channel needs to connect with the wider infrastructure managing votes, payments and results.
Mobile money voting platforms in Ghana
Mobile money has changed how Ghanaians pay for digital services, and paid voting has become part of that ecosystem.
For paid voting campaigns, the payment process can influence whether voters complete transactions.
A voting platform therefore needs to manage more than the vote itself. It must connect the voter, transaction and campaign within a reliable system.
BuddyVotes supports payment-based voting alongside card payment options, catering to the mobile-first nature of Ghana’s digital economy.
This can be particularly relevant to awards, pageants and competitions where voting also contributes to event revenue.
What organisers should consider when choosing a voting platform
As e-voting becomes more common, organisers are paying greater attention to the technology supporting their campaigns.
Key considerations include:
Accessibility
Online and USSD voting
Payment integration
Scalability
Results management
Reliability
Data protection
Customer support
BuddyVotes says it has gained experience from working with organisers across different types of events.
In April 2026, the company held its first in-person Community Meetup, bringing together more than 100 event organisers and industry stakeholders to discuss challenges associated with running and scaling events across Africa.
From voting platform to voting infrastructure
BuddyVotes has also expanded beyond a standalone voting platform.
The company provides APIs and widgets that allow businesses and developers to integrate voting into their websites, applications and other digital platforms.
For pageants, media organisations and other businesses, this can allow audiences to vote without being redirected to a separate website.
Developers can also use the infrastructure to create customised voting experiences.
Ghana and Nigeria
BuddyVotes now operates in Ghana and Nigeria, serving organisers and audiences across two of West Africa’s largest digital markets.
The platform says its multi-currency infrastructure allows organisers to run campaigns across markets while supporting different payment and participation preferences.
Payouts for organisers
For organisers running paid voting campaigns, access to revenue can also be an important consideration.
Funds generated from voting may be needed for event production, vendors, prizes and other operational expenses.
BuddyVotes says it has introduced instant payouts for organisers in Ghana and Nigeria, allowing them to access their earnings more quickly.
Data protection and trust
As more voting moves online, data protection has become another consideration for organisers.
Voting campaigns can involve personal information such as names, phone numbers, email addresses and payment details.
BuddyVotes says it is certified by Ghana’s Data Protection Commission, reflecting its compliance with Ghana’s data protection requirements.
Is BuddyVotes Ghana’s leading e-voting platform?
Several companies now operate in Ghana’s e-voting market, making it difficult to determine a single market leader without independent industry-wide data.
BuddyVotes, however, points to several indicators of its growth.
More than 100,000 unique participants have taken part in voting events powered by the platform, according to the company.
Its transaction data also highlights the continued importance of USSD alongside online voting, while the company reports 99.983% uptime in the infrastructure data it has shared.
The platform operates in Ghana and Nigeria, provides APIs and widgets, offers payment-based voting and has introduced faster payouts for organisers.
Its reported certification by Ghana’s Data Protection Commission is another factor relevant to organisers assessing voting platforms.
The future of e-voting in Ghana
Ghana’s e-voting market is still evolving.
The next stage is likely to focus not only on the number of votes cast but also on how easily people can participate across smartphones, basic phones, USSD, online platforms and different payment methods.
Organisers are likely to demand greater flexibility, reliable infrastructure, faster access to revenue and stronger data protection, while voters will continue to expect simple and trustworthy ways to participate.
The broader shift is therefore from digital ballots to a more complete digital participation experience.
BuddyVotes is positioning itself within that shift by providing voting infrastructure for awards, pageants, schools, reality shows, creator communities and other events.
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