One of the fundamental principles underlying the Ghanaian political system is that every adult citizen has the right to participate, either personally or through an elected representative, in the making of the decisions that affect his/her life.


Consequently the 1992 constitution provided for the creation of an Electoral Commission with the following functions:

• To compile the register of voters and revise it at prescribed periods
  
  
• To demarcate the electoral boundaries for national and local government elections
  
  
• To conduct and supervise all public elections and referenda
  
  
• To educate the people on the electoral process and its purpose
  
  
• To undertake programmes for the expansion of the registration of voters
  
  
• To perform other functions as may be prescribed by law The Chairman of the Commission is the chief coordinator of the activities of the Commission. The two deputy chairmen, who do the coordination within their functional areas, assist him in this. At the regional level, the Regional Director coordinates the activities of the District Officers.

In all its activities, the Commission derives guidance and sense of direction from its mission statement:
"The Electoral Commission is a Constitutional body whose mandate is to deliver free and fair elections as a means of advancing the course of democracy and good governance in Ghana".