SDA Church petitions Attorney General to reschedule voting day from Sabbath

The Attorney General’s office has been asked by the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church leadership to sponsor a bill that would change Saturday, December 7, 2024, election day to reflect that it is the Sabbath Day for worshiping God.

Nonetheless, the Church suggested the first or second Tuesday in November to guarantee a democratic exercise that is inclusive and does not purposefully prevent others from exercising their right to vote.

The Church stated that as a result of its fruitful interactions with the EC, the amendment is now required. The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) in 2011 and the Electoral Reforms Committee in 2015 made proposals that are the basis for the church’s stance.

“It is the considered view of the Church that this bill should be sponsored by the Office of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General (Executive) because of its nature. Hence, the request for this meeting with the Honourable Minister in that regard.”

“Pursuant to the work of the Constitutional Review Commission (2011) and that of the Electoral Reform Committee (2015), particularly with references to (i) Paragraph 265 at page 193, the CRC recommended the period for elections “not later than 60 days to the installation of a new President and Parliament on January 7. (ii) Likewise, the ECRC suggested a date change from “December 7 to November 7 in Proposal 8 on pages 10 and 11,” the church stated.

“The Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) is proposing an amendment of non-entrenched Article 112(4) for Parliamentary elections to meet the period guaranteed in Article 63(2) for Presidential elections to be christened “Ghana Elections’ Date Amendment Bill.”

The Church met with the Electoral Commission in June of last year in an attempt to secure the modification of the election day of December 7.

The SDA Church emphasized that the Commission had assured its leadership that it would be willing to examine the proposal.

The Adventist Church states that this proposal aims to “ensure that no one is excluded from participating in the electoral process and help deepen electoral democracy.”

“In anticipation of changing the date for general elections from December 7 to the first (1st) or second (2nd) Tuesday of November, the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church met with the Electoral Commission (EC) on Wednesday, June 7, 2023,” a portion of the petition to the AG reads.

“The Church proposed to the EC a change from the December 7 date to the 1st or 2nd Tuesday of November in a general election year. The outcome of the meeting with the EC was productive.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com