GREATER transparency for political finances, strengthening the role of the Jersey Electoral Authority and making changes to the system shortly before polling day are among the areas covered in a report by a team of election observers.
The team representing the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association has published a series of findings and recommendations after being invited to Jersey in June as Islanders went to the polls to elect a new government.
Noting that an attempt to introduce a lobbying code had been rejected by the States Assembly in March, the observers said this meant there was no dedicated lobbying transparency regime or public register of interactions between members and lobby groups.
This was highlighted by the involvement of political movement Value Jersey, which had provided support to some candidates but did not declare its spending.
The report states: “This highlights a potential gap in the transparency framework, where an organisation provides material support to candidates, yet its own expenditure,
funding sources, and reporting obligations are not clearly addressed by applicable law. The legal status of any reporting obligation applicable to Value Jersey requires clarification.”
The report adds: “The 2026 election underscored the need to strengthen political finance regulation in Jersey, including broader disclosure requirements and enhanced enforcement capabilities in both law and practice.
“Consideration could be given to strengthening political finance transparency and oversight mechanisms which establish a coherent, enforceable, and proportionate transparency regime for candidates, registered parties, third parties, and entities that campaign to influence electoral outcomes,” the observers added, adding that an independent regulator could then be given investigative and sanctioning powers.
A complex picture of how Jersey’s electoral process is administered features in the report, with the observers noting the involvement of the 12 parishes, the Judicial Greffe, the States Greffe and the Jersey Electoral Authority.
Many of those interviewed by the CPA team were unaware of the JEA’s role and considered it ineffective, the report notes, concluding that the authority’s “role, budget, and mandate could be reviewed and aligned to ensure they are fit for purpose”.
Reference is made to “substantial legislative changes” that were adopted less than three months before polling day, including the reintroduction of Senators, the introduction of Automatic Voter Registration, and
amendments to voting eligibility and electoral procedures. The report notes that this created challenges, albeit that these were overcome by collaborative work between stakeholders.
“The commitment of election officials, volunteers and partner institutions was instrumental in ensuring the successful delivery of the process,” the observers state.
Dialogue on social media was a feature of the election, the observers note, adding that the various platforms such as Facebook, X and Instagram had “hosted insults, inflammatory remarks, and attempts to discourage people from exercising their full voting rights”.
An assessment could be made of potential vulnerabilities stemming from the social media landscape, the observers state, including the risk of “malign influence” from beyond the Island’s shores.
