Member of Parliament for Abetifi Constituency, Bryan Acheampong, has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to implement measures allowing the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) to vote alongside security agencies under the special voting exercise.
The upcoming general elections are scheduled for December 7th, 2024. This date, however, coincides with the Sabbath of the SDA Church, which has raised concerns within the Adventist community about their participation in the electoral process.
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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Agriculture Minister argued that the SDA has a church strength of over 800,000 members in Ghana who will be disenfranchised due to their religious beliefs.
SDA doctrine prohibits members from engaging in any activity, including voting, on Saturdays.
“Let us respect their faith and allow them to vote with the security agencies. #SDA ”
“Kindly join me in calling on the EC to allow the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) to vote with the security agencies. The SDA has an 800,000+ strong Ghanaian membership that is disenfranchised because, by their faith, they do not work on Saturdays and, therefore, do not vote,” his post read.
Earlier this year, the Adventist Church submitted a memorandum to the Parliament of Ghana calling for an amendment to the date for the general election, Saturday, December 7.
General elections in Ghana are held on the constitutionally mandated date of December 7 every four years.
The SDA Church is arguing that, in 1996, the date fell on a Saturday, thereby disenfranchising many Adventists, who chose not to go to the polls on the Biblical Sabbath.
The 2024 elections will also fall on a Saturday, and in a proactive stance, the church leaders are petitioning Parliament to consider an amendment on religious liberty grounds.
Close to one million Seventh Day Adventist voters will be unable to cast their ballots if nothing is done about the scheduled voting date, according to the Church.
In the 1996 elections, more than 95 percent of Adventist voters refused to vote due to their religious inclinations.
