Maybe I am being optimistic, but tomorrow could mark a fresh start for Island politics

No, I don’t mean Chelsea’s Champions League clash against KRC Genk or the latest instalment of an Idiot Abroad 2 on Sky One.

OK, to some of you they might seem more interesting, but you know what I’m really talking about – the biggest, most open and possibly (hopefully) most interesting election Jersey has ever seen.

I could have written about the perplexing decision to allow 20 civil servants to spend a night at the Radisson, or the similarities between Guernsey’s debate this week on school exam results, which is almost exactly the same as what we went through not many months ago.

But I just couldn’t bring myself to. Sorry. Because, and I think this is the long and short of it, I’m a little bit excited.

Maybe I am being naively optimistic, but tomorrow could mark a fresh start for Island politics. A new dawn for the States Chamber and a brighter future for us all.

Yes, so perhaps I’m getting carried away, but you get my drift – it could, fingers crossed, be a new beginning for Jersey politics.

But, as excited as I am, ‘could’ is also a big word. The status quo still hangs over this election like a swollen raincloud ready to deposit its depressing cargo as soon as the final votes are cast at 8 pm. The question is – are we going to let it? Because, unlike the weather, we are actually in control of this one.

So far it has been an election of cardboard cut-outs, packed parish halls and what seems like hundreds of questions on States reform, public spending and the economy.

It’s had its high points (the 16-year-old girl who asked a question at the St Saviour Senators’ hustings) and its lows (personal attacks, speeches on immigration that have verged a little too close to outright racism and far too many politicians being re-elected unopposed).

But by the close of play on Thursday (bearing in mind the counting might have to continue that day) it will all be over. And that’s when the real work will begin.

But, until then, it’s most definitely in our hands. So let’s enjoy that for a while.

Voters have made it quite clear they want a change at this election. They want an end to petty personal attacks and States Members who waste time, don’t listen to them and spend too much money.

The simple answer, and one which I predict many voters may opt for, is to vote for a change in representation wherever they can. But this is a risky strategy if it is done without enough research.

Because, you see, some of our politicians seeking re-election this time around aren’t all bad – in fact some are actually very good. But equally, some do need to go.

The skill is replacing them with someone better – and it isn’t always as easy as it might seem.

Then there is the issue of tactical voting. I have already heard some people say they will only be using one vote to ensure they don’t disadvantage their preferred candidate by giving away votes willy-nilly to their nearest contenders.

It is up to each individual voter to use as many or as few of their votes as they like.

When it comes to the Senatorial election it is also going to be interesting to see how the results vary from parish to parish. Traditionally there have always been allegiances – take, for example, Senator Alan Breckon in 2008, who shot up from sixth to second after the St Saviour vote came in.

And all of that means that we can’t truly be sure of the final result until all of the votes have been counted and the official numbers announced.

And this is why I am so excited. Tomorrow is going to be hectic, but it is also going to be fun. So many months and weeks of planning, of hustings, speeches and questions, and preparation come down to tomorrow. And, for one more day, it all comes down to us.

As a side-line, I’d like to share with you what a first-time voter who has now earned his voting rights after living in Jersey for the past three years thought about attending his first Senatorial hustings.

Initially dubious about what the evening would entail (made worse when the man seated next to him removed his shoes just before proceedings began), he was sceptical that it would be two hours of his life he wouldn’t get back.

He had imagined 120 minutes of listening to people who liked the sound of their own voice just that bit too much.

But, encouragingly, he described it afterwards as a rather feisty encounter where people spoke passionately about an Island that they so obviously care about a great deal.

In fact, he concluded it was quite a good evening of entertainment where a bag of popcorn wouldn’t have gone amiss.

And, most importantly, he left with a much clearer idea of who to vote for and why.

For example, he could easily identify who the serious contenders were, and by that I mean those who were worth even considering for a vote. The rest he could tell right away were just along for the ride.

He liked: the man who met him at the door to shake his hand as he was leaving, the intelligent sounding one, the nice lady at the back and the moment he nearly had to break up a fight in the crowd.

He disliked: the xenophobia voiced by one candidate in particular, obnoxious crowd members and when someone leant on the light switch (because we had all hoped it was a power cut).

What all this goes to show is that the system has done its job. My once politically apathetic friend is now looking forward to tomorrow and making his, now informed, vote count.

The only problem is he now expects all local politics to be as fiery as it was in Trinity that night, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise.