Ghana Elections 2016: The Game Changing Role of Tech and New Media Tools

Ghana passed yet another democratic test when it conducted what is widely described as a very successful elections to choose a new President and 275 members of parliament during its 2016 General Elections. From the tech-based systems deployed by media houses that enabled their collation and projections of results, through the Electoral Commission’s own challenges with same, to how political parties tracked their numbers before the final and official declaration, a major feature of Ghana’s 2016 poll was how technology took center stage of the entire democratic process by almost every key stakeholder, citizens inclusive. This publication, discusses some of the ways technology and New Media tools impacted Ghana's Elections 2016; reveals, also, how the seeming success of the role of technology has not come without its own difficulties. This publication touches on some key highlights of how various stakeholders leveraged technologies to deliver a free and fair Ghana Elections 2016.