Ghanaians will have the opportunity again to elect their President and Parliamentarians.However, there was a delay in the balloting for positions on the ballot paper for the elections.The delay was due to a court case on the disqualification of some prospective presidentialaspirants. Just about 28 days to the elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) has published thepositions of the qualified presidential candidates. Some political parties and presidentialcandidates have argued that because the balloting was delayed, it will take some time for theelectorates to know the positions of their presidential candidates on the ballot paper and as suchwill adversely affect votes of their candidates. As a Researcher at the EC, you have been taskedto conduct a research to find out whether position on the ballot paper influences an electorate’sdecision to vote for a particular presidential candidate. Also, the EC wants to know whether the5level of education of an electorate, age of an electorate, and number of times a person has votedhave effects on the decision to vote for a presidential candidate.Attempt the following questionsa. Suggest a topic for this study.b. State the general objective of this study.c. What are the research questions?d. What are the specific objectives?e. State the null and alternative hypotheses.f. State the dependent variable and independent variables.g. What type of data will you use for the study? Explain your answer.h. State population for this study. Explain your answer.i. State and explain the sampling technique you will use to sample the respondents.

a. Suggest a topic for this study.

• The influence of ballot paper position on voter decision-making in Ghanaian presidential elections.

b. State the general objective of this study.

• The general objective of this study is to examine whether the position of a presidential candidate on the ballot paper has an impact on the decision of Ghanaian electorates to vote for that candidate.

c. What are the research questions?

• Does the position of a presidential candidate on the ballot paper influence the voting decision of Ghanaian electorates?
• Do the level of education, age, and voting history of an electorate affect their decision to vote for a presidential candidate?

d. What are the specific objectives?

• To determine if there is a correlation between ballot paper position and voter preference for a presidential candidate.
• To investigate the potential effects of education level, age, and voting history on the decision to vote for a presidential candidate.

e. State the null and alternative hypotheses.

• Null hypothesis: The position of a presidential candidate on the ballot paper does not influence the decision of Ghanaian electorates to vote for that candidate.
• Alternative hypothesis: The position of a presidential candidate on the ballot paper does influence the decision of Ghanaian electorates to vote for that candidate.

f. State the dependent variable and independent variables.

• Dependent variable: Decision to vote for a presidential candidate.
• Independent variables: Ballot paper position, level of education, age, and voting history.

g. What type of data will you use for the study? Explain your answer.

• The study will use both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data will be collected through surveys and questionnaires to gather information on ballot paper position, level of education, age, voting history, and voting decisions. Qualitative data will be collected through interviews and focus groups to gain deeper insights into the reasons behind voter decisions.

h. State population for this study. Explain your answer.

• The population for this study is the Ghanaian electorate, specifically those eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential elections. This population represents the target group from which the sample will be drawn.

i. State and explain the sampling technique you will use to sample the respondents.

• The sampling technique that will be used is stratified random sampling. This involves dividing the population into different strata based on factors such as geographical location and socio-economic status. From each stratum, a random sample of respondents will be selected to ensure representation from various segments of the population. This technique allows for a more accurate representation of the population and increases the generalizability of the study's findings.