THIS year’s elections will be the first since GST began, the first in which 16-year-olds can vote, and the first in which nearly every seat in the States could change hands.
They will also be the first since the start of ministerial government – and will be the first real chance to gauge how the public feel about the changes to the States, and how the Island is run.
Given that nomination meetings are less than two months away, now is a good time to contact Parish Halls to ensure that you’re on the electoral roll and eligible to vote.
As things stand, what we know for certain is that the new States will include two new ministers, including a new Chief Minister, at least two new Senators (probably three) and almost certainly some new Deputies.
Added to that is the increasing and expanding role of parties – the Jersey Democratic Alliance say they will be putting up more candidates, and organisations like Time 4 Change, the Angry Men, and the Charter Party are likely to be endorsing and supporting some runners.
Given the expanded electoral roll and the public anger at GST and the Waterfront debacle, turnout – which was lamentable in the 2005 polls – is likely to increase.
There were 54,417 voters registered for the 2005 elections – and despite a slight drop in St Helier for the Constable election in January, the work of the parish’s dedicated electoral officer and the rolling register reforms suggest that the number will get bigger.
Q. When are the elections happening?
A. Elections for Senators and Constables will be held on Wednesday 15 October and elections for Deputies will be held on Wednesday 26 November. The new States will meet for the first time on Monday 8 December to elect a Chief Minister. Nomination meetings are set for 16 September (Senators and Constables) and 4 November (Deputies).
Parishes could therefore see three sets of hustings meetings over the course of two months for Senators, Constables and Deputies, and voters going to the polls on 15 October will be casting votes for Senators, Constables and the referendum on shifting the clocks to Central European Time.
Q. Who is up for re-election?
A. Nearly everyone – 47 out of the 53. Every one of the 29 Deputies (elected on a parish/constituency basis arranged roughly by population) is up for re-election in November when their three-year term expires. The terms of the six Senators (who represent the whole Island on a six-year mandate) elected in 2002 – Senators Philip Ozouf, Wendy Kinnard, Paul Routier, Mike Vibert, Len Norman and Frank Walker – will also end. The Senatorial election held in October will see at least two new faces as Senators Walker and Kinnard have said they will stand down. That may become three if, as has been suggested, Senator Norman, a former St Clement Deputy, opts instead to run for Constable of that parish following the retirement of Derek Gray.
Senatorial elections normally see the biggest turnout, and it is likely that most of the ministers will come from the Senatorial bench – only one of the current Council of Ministers sits across the Chamber with the Deputies.
Q. Why are there so many?
A. All 12 Constables (one for each parish) have agreed to step down so that they can stand again on the same day in October as the Senatorial elections – however it is understood that some who have fought recent election campaigns are having cold feet. In all 47 of the 53 seats could be up for grabs throughout the elections.
The three vacancies in the Senatorial benches will be likely to prompt some Deputies to seek ‘promotion’ as well as first-timers trying to go straight in, as Senators Ben Shenton, Freddie Cohen and Jim Perchard did last time.
There will also be the usual unedifying spectacle of candidates running unsuccessfully for Senator (and Constable this time), then having a go at a Deputy seat on the back of it.
Q. Will the elections be run differently?
A. Yes. For a start, the minimum voting age has been dropped from 18 to 16. That adds another 2,000 potential voters to the electoral roll, but there is no reason to think anywhere near that number will turn out on election day.
The appointment of an electoral officer in St Helier is likely to add more voters to the roll – the register in town is notoriously inaccurate and the parish have been taking steps to make sure that it is as up-to-date as possible by the time election day rolls around.
Q. Are there going to be new rules on how candidates run their campaigns?
A. Election spending limits have been set the by Privileges and Procedures Committee, who have responsibility for States reform. States agreed proposals that would, by the 2005 figures, set a spending limit of £7,941 for Senatorial candidates, and between £2,258 and £1,613 for Deputy candidates depending on the size of the constituency.
New rules setting up a ‘rolling’ electoral roll have just been agreed, but it is not clear whether they will be brought into force in time for the election.
Similarly, rules barring candidates from helping voters fill out and deliver postal votes may not be enacted in time.
The big difference will be the fact that the Constables, or some of them, will be up for re-election on the same day as the Senators.
That, and an in-principle decision on election spending, were the only amendments approved during the four-day reform debate last year.
Q. What are the issues likely to be?
A. It goes without saying that GST will be an issue at the election – at the very least, the polls are expected to produce a new House that will exempt basic necessities like food and domestic fuel.
Immigration policies targeting finance workers, and the Waterfront plans are also likely to be raised at the hustings.
In a way, that goes to show how little things change: last time around the main issues were also GST, immigration and the Waterfront.
Although it is not clear how they will affect the elections, the ongoing historical child abuse investigation and the work at Haut de la Garenne are also likely to come up.
Q. How many of the Council of Ministers are up for election?
A. Four: Economic Development Minister Philip Ozouf, Education Minister Mike Vibert, Social Security Minister Paul Routier and Transport Minister Guy de Faye.
The success, or lack thereof, of ministerial government, and the Scrutiny system set up to provide a counterweight to it will be a big issue during the elections. Two ministers – Chief Minister Frank Walker and Home Affairs Minister Wendy Kinnard – are stepping down from politics entirely, and another four) have to stand again.
If two out of those four do not get in, it will be a fairly clear indication that the public do not think ministerial government is everything it is cracked up to be.
Q. What happens after the elections?
A. The States return to action in early December to pick a new Chief Minister – for which at the moment Treasury Minister Terry Le Sueur is the only declared candidate – followed a couple of days later by a new Council of Ministers and heads of Scrutiny panels.
What is almost certain is that there will be more contested ministerial appointments this time around – last time around the only challenge was a successful one by Deputy Guy de Faye to Senator Len Norman’s nomination as Transport Minister.
Members of Scrutiny panels and assistant ministers are appointed, rather than elected, over the following ten days.
• Current ministers up for election: Deputy Guy de Faye, Senator Philip Ozouf, Senator Paul Routier, Senator Mike Vibert
