A ST HELIER election candidate has criticised the timing of a hustings, which he believes will deter young people from attending and voting.
David Warr, who is standing for Deputy in St Helier South, said it was no wonder the parish had a ‘notoriously low’ voter turnout, when a hustings was being held on a Friday evening (10 June) at 7pm.
‘The Town Hall is booked up so quickly and so I think it was one of the only times left. We want the hustings as close to the election as possible and if we are serious about democracy, the hustings should take priority.
‘The parish has a notoriously low voter turnout and then they put the main hustings on a Friday evening and then wonder why we can’t get the numbers,’ he said.
‘People I have spoken to, especially the younger generation, say they will be discouraged from going. People have plans on a Friday night and for the younger generation, it is a night out for them. They won’t want to spend their Friday night at an election hustings, but if it was on a different date, there is more chance of them attending,’ he added.
There is also an opportunity for some residents to meet the St Helier South candidates this evening at the Lido at Havre des Pas. The event starts at 6pm and has been tagged onto a regular meeting of the Havre des Pas Improvement Group. However, the meeting has not been listed on Vote.je.
Mr Warr added: ‘Voters want every opportunity to meet candidates. These types of opportunities are essential for getting the message across. Candidates are already under immense pressure, especially those who are juggling their day jobs too, and so it is crucial they are given these designated times to interact with as many potential voters as possible and the public are made aware of these types of things.
Mr Warr is running against current States Members Deputy Russell Labey, Senator Sam Mézec and Deputy Judy Martin, as well as Tom Coles, Chris Hopkins, Angela Jeune, Nick Le Cornu, Jo Luce, Bernie Manning and Beatriz Porée for one of four seats in the St Helier South constituency.
