The Gambia
West Africa · gm
Presidential republic with a directly elected president and a National Assembly elected mainly from single-member constituencies.
Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026
The Gambia is distinctive for using glass marbles rather than paper ballots in national voting. Each candidate has a colour-coded ballot drum; the voter deposits one marble and the contents are counted after polls close. The Independent Electoral Commission administers registration, nominations, polling, counting and results.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 18 and over
- Voter registration
- Voter-initiated
- Identification
- Photo ID required
- Compulsory voting
- No
- Postal voting
- Not available
- Early voting
- Not available
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Not available
Registration is in person and requires Gambian citizenship, age 18 and accepted identity evidence. Registered voters receive a voter card and vote at the assigned station.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1960Reform
The marble-and-drum voting system was introduced to make voting accessible in a country with low literacy.
History of elections in The Gambia - 1997Reform
The current Independent Electoral Commission was established under the constitutional framework.
History of elections in The Gambia - 2016Expansion
A presidential election produced the country's first electoral transfer of executive power.
A pillar of democracy
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Mixed
- Post-election audit
- Ad hoc
- Election administration
- Independent commission
- Domestic observers
- Yes
- International observers
- Yes
The schema labels the physical system as mixed because the vote is cast with a marble rather than paper or electronics. Candidate drums are demonstrated empty, sealed for voting and counted in the presence of officials, agents and observers.
Worth knowing
- The marble system has been used since 1960; the ballot drums make an audible signal when a marble is cast.Voting in The Gambia
- The 2026 calendar schedules nominations for 26 October–6 November and the official campaign for 10 November–3 December.Electoral Calendar 2026–2027
Elections in the database
- 2026The Gambia 2026 Presidential ElectionElection Watch
People
- Head of stateAdama BarrowPresident of The Gambia
Sources
- Voting in The Gambia— Independent Electoral Commission of The Gambia
- Information on election observation— Independent Electoral Commission of The Gambia