ALL prisoners at HMP La Moye would be given the right to vote under plans put forward by the Privileges and Procedures Committee.
Currently, inmates serving a prison sentence of more than four years are disqualified from voting.
But PPC wants to offer postal votes to all prisoners based in Jersey to allow them to vote in the constituency where they lived before being detained.
The committee said that there are “wider perceived benefits of extending voting rights to all prisoners, including the creation of social ties and a commitment to the common good”.
PPC was responding to a recommendation from contained within the CPA Election Observers Mission Report 2022 – published after the last election – which stated that the blanket ban on the right to vote for those serving prison sentences exceeding four years should be removed to allow for “broader electoral participation on an equal basis”.
If approved by the States Assembly, the proposals would also extend the remit of the Jersey Electoral Authority to allow it to accept complaints made by members of the public rather than just candidates, and make it responsible for the organisation of hustings and location of polling stations.
The committee is also proposing a range of other administrative changes to the Island’s electoral law – including changing the definition of a cancelled ballot paper and automatically giving all Islanders ballots for all polls taking place.
