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This study examines the media and election observer framing of vote buying in Ghana, focusing on the 2023 by-election in Assin-North, 2024 by-election in Ejisu, the 2024 general election, and selected party primaries. Despite Ghana’s record of peaceful electoral transitions and democratic consolidation, the persistence of vote buying threatens electoral integrity, weakens public trust, and undermines democratic accountability. By drawing on framing theory, the research investigates how media and election observer frame vote buying in Ghana’s election and how their framing choices shape public perceptions, electoral legitimacy, and institutional capacity. A qualitative research design employing an exploratory case study approach was adopted to allow for a contextually grounded analysis. Fifteen documents were purposively sampled from Joy News, Daily Guide Network, Graphic Online, 3News, and the CODEO and analyzed using qualitative content analysis method. Findings reveal that both media and observer narratives framed vote buying as normalized, complex, and pervasive, implicating actors such as party delegates, security personnel, and electoral officials beyond the stereotypical poor or uneducated voters. Inducements were both monetary and non-monetary, and partisan framing between the major political parties – New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress reinforced perceptions of elections as transactional contests. Institutional framing highlighted both enforcement efforts and complicity, with legal interventions constrained by capacity limitations. The study concludes that framing significantly influences public opinion and political discourse around vote buying by highlighting the need for editorial scrutiny, stronger legal enforcement, and further research on public perceptions and institutional accountability.