Christians must vote on December 7 - Christian Council

The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) on Monday launched its 2008 Voter Education and Election Monitoring (VEEM) project with
an assurance that member churches of the Council will ask their congregations
to vote on Election Day, which falls on Sunday, December 7.
“As a Council, we are voting on December 7. All Christians must therefore register and vote on the day,” the Reverend Dr Fred Deegbe said at the launch
in Accra.
The 120,000 euro project sponsored VEEM aimed at disseminating information on the electoral processes to the general public would be implemented between September and November and would involve 15 selected districts in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Northern regions.
Funding for the project was sourced from the Church Development Service, an association of the Protestant Churches in Germany (EED), following an appeal.
Also included in the package is a 15-seater bus to be used for the dissemination and monitoring project.
Rev. Deegbe said voter education had been a challenge in almost all countries around the world as well as issues about getting citizens to register and inspection of the voters' register, actually getting people to vote on Election Day and catering for the special need citizens.
Again, the noticeable trend in huge spoilt ballot papers in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 elections was also a burdensome issue which the Council desires to tackle by engaging in the voter education.
Rev. Deegbe explained that the Council was still discussing and exploring whether other vulnerable areas other than those to be selected would be included under the project, adding that this would depend on availability of funds.
The Right Reverend Dr Yaw Frimpong Manso, Chairman of the Council and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, Ghana, said the project was significant because of the enormous contribution it would make to the efforts of civil society organizations in maintaining the peace in the country.
He said the Council, established in 1929 was a non-partisan institution which sought to represent the voice of the people, deepen democracy and ensure the development of the people.
“More often than not, national development issues and assignments in Ghana are interpreted and/or carried out along partisan lines. Hence it is therefore crucial that the electorate is empowered to discuss issues dispassionately for the common good of society.”
He said all the previous elections took place in a context characterized by public scepticism about fairness and transparency of election management.
The project was therefore necessary and crucial for the development of the country.
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, the Most Reverend Charles Palmer Buckle said such voter education, discussion and consensus building would help Ghanaians as a country to go through the elections peacefully.
He urged everybody, especially young people, to be involved in peace building and conflict prevention starting from their homes.