Vote beyond money and ethnicity – NCCE urges Ghanaian voters

The Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy, has advised Ghanaians to look beyond money, ethnicity, and religion in the upcoming December 7 election.

She encouraged them to vote based on the candidates’ competence and policies.

In her view, such an approach would strengthen Ghana’s democratic integrity and advance national development.

“The criteria for that vote should not be money, should not be religion, and should not be even ethical considerations because, as a country, we should have gone past that by now. The days of strongholds and territories should be behind us.

“Voting is more than just a right; it is a civic duty, a means to shape governance and hold our leaders accountable,” she said.

Madam Kathleen Addy made the remarks in a presentation on “Civic Engagement: Voting, Participating in Democracy, and Staying Informed” at a two-day annual conference organised by the Ghana Chapter of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists.

The event was held under the theme ‘The Voice of the People: Elections for a More Responsive Government.’

It brought together public social scientists, chaired by Business Development Consultant Daniel Dugan.

“Many of the problems we face as a country will decline if we all play our role in this democracy creditably.”

She also admonished religious leaders to be courageous in holding political leaders accountable.

“If you have a leader and that person is on television threatening the whole country and doing all these terrible things, yet they have a church, a pastor, a father they go to, and sit at the front row.

“We let them sit and never call them to order or hold them accountable. That kind of trying to hold people accountable in the social context is more powerful than law, so how are we going to end bad behaviour if we reward bad behaviour?” she quizzed.

She further disclosed that the NCCE is working closely with religious organisations, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Chief Imam’s Office, to raise public awareness to achieve peace during the electoral process.