The Big Headaches of Paid Voting
Are you planning a pageant, a talent hunt, or a community award show in Ghana? If yes, you probably want people to vote for their favorite contestants. You also want to charge a small fee per vote to help pay for the event costs.
But running a paid voting contest by yourself is a huge headache. Here is what usually happens:
- Voters send money to your personal Mobile Money (MoMo) wallet.
- Your phone gets flooded with hundreds of text messages.
- You have to sit down for hours to match names on MoMo statements with votes.
- Contestants keep asking, "How many votes do I have now?" and you are too tired to reply.
Why Screenshots Do Not Work
Some organizers ask voters to send a screenshot of their payment on WhatsApp. This is a very bad idea!
First, it takes too much time to read every WhatsApp message. Second, it is very easy for people to edit screenshots using simple phone apps. They can change the name, the date, or the amount. You might end up counting votes that were never paid for! This makes you lose money, and it makes other candidates feel like you are cheating.
Also, what if some of your voters do not have internet? If they cannot access WhatsApp or a website, they cannot vote. (To solve this, you should read our guide on why USSD offline voting is critical in Ghana).
How Vootely Solves the Headache
Vootely is a simple, secure platform built to take away all these headaches. Instead of doing things by hand, Vootely does the work for you:
Vootely Features:
- Instant Leaderboards: When a voter pays, the vote is counted instantly. The public leaderboard updates in real-time. Everyone can see who is winning.
- Safe Mobile Checkout: Voters pay securely online using Mobile Money or Visa/Mastercard. Vootely checks the payment automatically. No fake screenshots!
- USSD Offline Voting: Voters can dial a simple shortcode (like *928*419) on any basic phone to vote without internet.
- Live Stream Results Page: Stream or project the dedicated live results page on big screens at the venue so everyone can watch the leaderboard change in real-time.
- Discounted Vote Bundles: Set up custom voting packages where votes are cheaper when bought in bulk (e.g., 50 votes for GH₵40 instead of GH₵50). This encourages fans to support their nominees more and increases your revenue.
How to Get Started Today
You do not need to be a computer expert to use Vootely. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up your event.
All you have to do is sign up for an organizer account, type your event details, upload your nominees, and share your public link. Vootely will handle the rest, from collecting payments to showing the live results. And when the contest is over, you get your money sent straight to your bank account or MoMo wallet.
