Migration and Voting Patterns: Exploring the Linkages in Two Migrant Communities in Ghana

Mariama Awumbila, University of Ghana
Samuel Agyei-Mensah, University of Ghana

Internal migration is bringing about not only increases in Ghana’s urban population, but also increases in migrant proportions in urban communities. In their destination communities migrants contribute to socioeconomic development and form a critical mass which may be harnessed for development. As a result, increasingly many political parties are making electoral fortunes in some migrant-dominated communities. Yet despite the growing importance of migration, the impact of mobility and migration processes on voting behaviour and patterns has received scant attention. Using Census data, this paper analyses trends in the composition and growth of two migrant communities in the Greater Accra Region, Nima and Ashaiman and links these trends to voting behavior and patterns in the two communities. It examines the links between location, space and political orientation and recommends the need to examine the spatial context of voting patterns and the role that migration plays in determining its outcome.