Elections in Jersey
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Elections in Jersey take place for the
States Assembly The States Assembly (french: Assemblée des États; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable of each of the twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of Jersey lie in the system o ...
and at
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
-level. Various
parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature fo ...
have been formed over the years in Jersey, but few candidates stand for election affiliated to any political party. All elections in Jersey use the
first-past-the-post voting In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
system. In 2008, the
voting age A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. The most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist (s ...
was reduced to 16 years.


National elections

Jersey elects a
legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
. From November 2011, the
States Assembly The States Assembly (french: Assemblée des États; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable of each of the twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of Jersey lie in the system o ...
has 51 elected members: 10 Senators (elected on an island-wide basis), 29 Deputies (elected in single- and multi-seat
constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
) and 12 Connétables (heads of the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es). The normal term of office for elected States Members is four years, though members elected in October 2011 and October 2014 will serve for shorter periods. From 2018, elections will be held in May every fourth year.


Senators

The office of Senator was created in 1948. In the early years of Senatorial elections since 1948, parish loyalties meant that votes would swing around the candidates, with
Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...
- the largest and last parish to declare - often deciding the election. Since the 1980s, parish loyalties to local candidates have faded in favour of Islandwide issues and it is usual for the pattern of winning candidates to be clear from the first declarations, with "Town" voters in St Helier only likely to decide the last-placed candidate. Initially, Senators served terms of nine years but this was reduced to six years in 1966 and to four years in 2011. The number of Senators will be reduced to eight in the October 2014 elections. As part of the transitional arrangements for this new electoral system, the six Senators elected for six-year terms in
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
did not face election in 2011. Up to the 2008 elections, six of the 12 Senatorial seats fell vacant every three years in elections held in October. Deputies had three year terms, with elections held in November. Defeated Senatorial candidates were therefore able to stand in the following Deputorial elections. It was not uncommon for an incumbent Senator denied re-election by the Island electorate to seek a refreshed mandate in their own parish. A number of prospective candidates for Deputy used the preceding Senatorials as a ''dry-run'' to either raise their public profile or, in the absence of a strong tie to one particular parish, to see which Deputorial constituency gave them the highest Senatorial vote. There was no uniform date for Connétable elections. To be nominated for Senator, a candidate must secure a nomination paper signed by 10 validly-registered voters, including a proposer and seconder. The proposer and seconder must attend in person the Electoral Assembly ("nomination meeting") held at the Parish Hall of St Helier, presided over by the ''Comité des Connétables'', and the proposer must read out publicly the nomination form, including the candidate's declaration of criminal convictions (or of no criminal convictions).Public Elections (Jersey) Law 2002 and the Public Elections (Jersey) Regulations 2002. If more candidates are nominated than there are seats available, a poll is declared, to be taken on the date set by the Royal Court. If there are no more candidates nominated after 20 minutes than available seats, then the candidates are declared elected unopposed and no poll is taken. The
Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
appoints an '' autorisé'' for each constituency to oversee the poll (usually, but not exclusively, a
Jurat The ''jurats'' () are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law, though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney, however, the jurats are judges of both fact and law (assisted by the ...
or Crown Officer). Results for each parish on polling day are declared by the ''autorisé''. In the October 2011 elections, four senatorial seats were contested, each voter having a maximum of four unranked votes in a
first past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
bloc voting system (
multi-member plurality system Plurality block voting, also known as plurality-at-large voting, block vote or block voting (BV) is a non- proportional voting system for electing representatives in multi-winner elections. Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of sea ...
). In the October 2014 elections, each voter had eight unranked votes for Senator.


Deputies

The procedure for nomination for Deputy follows the same pattern as for the Senatorials, except that the nomination paper must be signed by 10 voters, including proposer and seconder, validly registered in the constituency in which they intend standing (for a Senatorial election, the constituency is one all-Island constituency). The proposer and seconder must attend in person the Electoral Assembly ("nomination meeting") presided by the
Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
(or Chef de Police or
Procureur du Bien Public A Procureur du Bien Public ( French: ''attorney of the public good'') is the legal and financial representative of a parish in Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de ...
) of the respective parish held at the respective parish's parish hall (Public Hall in the case of St. Martin) or other place as may be specified. In the case of parishes divided into more than one electoral district, nominations are accepted at the Electoral Assembly by district, nominations for each district having to last at least 20 minutes. (''see articles on individual parishes for electoral districts'') In single-member districts, a simple first past the post election is held. In multi-member districts, the system is that of a first past the post bloc election analogous to the Senatorials.


Past elections

*
1993 Jersey general election Elections were held in 1993 for both Senators and Deputies to the States of Jersey. Election results Archive ...
*
1996 Jersey general election Elections were held in 1996 for both Senators and Deputies to the States of Jersey. Election results Archive ...
*
1999 Jersey general election Elections were held in 1999 for both Senators and Deputies to the States of Jersey. Election results Archive< ...
*
2002 Jersey general election Elections were held in 2002 for both Senators and Deputies to the States of Jersey. Senator Elections * Philip Ozouf: 14442 * Wendy Kinnard: 12230 * Paul Routier: 11687 * Mike Vibert: 10624 * Len Norman: 10192 * Frank Walker: 9377 * Guy d ...
*
2005 Jersey general election Elections were held in 2005 for both Senators and Deputies to the States of Jersey. Senator Elections The elections for Senator were held on 19 October 2005. 6 seats were available. At the Electoral Assembly held on 13 September 2005, 15 can ...
*
2008 Jersey general election The Jersey general election, 2008 was a series of elections that were taking place in two stages in October and November 2008 in Jersey. Constable elections For the first time since 1948 the elections of constables for the twelve parishes of ...
*
2011 Jersey general election The 2011 Jersey general election was held on 19 October 2011 to elect 45 members of the States Assembly. This was the first time Senators, Deputies and Constables were elected on a single day in Jersey. The number of members of the States of Je ...
*
2014 Jersey general election The 2014 Jersey general election was held on 15 October 2014 to elect the 49 members of the States Assembly which also coincided with a referendum on electoral reform. Electoral system At the time of the election, the 49 members of the States ...
*
2018 Jersey general election The 2018 Jersey general election was held on 16 May 2018 to elect the 49 members of the States Assembly. Electoral system At the time of the election, the 49 members of the States consisted of three different types of members. The 29 deput ...
* 2022 Jersey general election


By-elections

For senators: *
1999 Jersey by-elections The following by elections took place in Jersey in 1999. Senator By Election February 1999
:Retrieved 28 July 2007


Resul ...

* 2003 Jersey by-elections * 2004 Jersey by-elections * 2010 Jersey by-elections * 2016 Jersey by-election For deputies: *
1999 Jersey by-elections The following by elections took place in Jersey in 1999. Senator By Election February 1999
:Retrieved 28 July 2007


Resul ...

* 2000 Jersey by-elections * 2014 Jersey by-elections


Local elections

The first local election on the island was a one-off event in 1940. The elected Connétable (or "Constable") heads the administration of each of the twelve parishes. Procureurs du Bien Public and
Centenier There is an Honorary Police ( French: Police Honorifique) force in each of the twelve parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid. Honorary Police officers have ...
s are elected under the same rules as
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
s,
Deputies A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
and
Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
s. Centeniers,
Vingtenier There is an Honorary Police ( French: Police Honorifique) force in each of the twelve parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid. Honorary Police officers have ...
s and
Constable's Officers There is an Honorary Police ( French: Police Honorifique) force in each of the twelve parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid. Honorary Police officers have ...
, collectively the
Honorary Police There is an Honorary Police ( French: Police Honorifique) force in each of the twelve parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid. Honorary Police officers have ...
are elected by a Parish assembly along with members of the
Roads Committee In Jersey, the Roads Committee (French: ''Comité des Chemins'') is the highway authority for Parish roads in each Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish i ...
and
Roads Inspector A ''Roads Inspector'' ( Jèrriais: ''L's Înspecteurs des C'mîns'' ; French: ''Inspecteur des chemins'') is a statutory office in Jersey responsible for the maintenance of public highways. The Parish Assembly elects two Roads Inspectors for eac ...
s and must take an oath of office before the
Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
. Other municipal officials are also elected by an Assembly of Electors but are not subject to an oath of office. Changes to the Voting Law meant that all elections for the position of
Procureur du Bien Public A Procureur du Bien Public ( French: ''attorney of the public good'') is the legal and financial representative of a parish in Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de ...
and Centenier now follow the rule applied to elections to the States of Jersey. Since such elections are generally uncontested the following list details contested elections only. A full list of people elected to Parish Municipalities can be found at List of politicians in Jersey. * 2006 Jersey regional elections * 2007 Jersey regional elections *
2008 Jersey regional elections 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
Constable elections are normally for a period of three years. From 2008, all Constables will be elected on a single day, all terms will be cut short to allow for this Thus all elections in 2006 and 2007 are for a period until that date. * 2001 Jersey constable election * 2002 Jersey constable election *
2003 Jersey constable election 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
* 2004 Jersey constable election * 2005 Jersey constable election * 2006 Jersey constable election * 2007 Jersey constable election * 2008 Jersey constable election


Electoral register

Those eligible to vote at a public election (for Senators, Deputies, Constables, Procureurs du Bien Public and Centeniers) are those whose names are included on the electoral register for the relevant electoral district (the register is compiled by
vingtaine A vingtaine (literally "group of twenty" in French) is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville (The Vingtaine of the town), in Saint Helier is further divided ...
). Those entitled to register must be *at least 16 years old (lowered from 18 in 2008); *ordinarily resident in the relevant electoral district; and either #ordinarily resident in Jersey for the period of at least two years prior to registration; or #ordinarily resident in Jersey for a period of at least six months up to and including that day, as well as having completed a total of at least five years of ordinary residency in Jersey at some foregoing period. The right to vote is determined by residency, not citizenship, and therefore citizens of any state may vote in Jersey elections provided they fulfill the other requirements for electoral registration. On 4 July 2007, the States of Jersey voted to reduce
voting age A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. The most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist (s ...
to 16. The law was brought into force on 12 March 2008, with effect from 1 April 2008, allowing 16- and 17-year-old voters to register in time for the 2008 elections.''16-year-olds able to vote this year'',
Jersey Evening Post The ''Jersey Evening Post'' (''JEP'') is a local newspaper published six days a week in the Bailiwick of Jersey. It was printed in broadsheet format for 87 years, though it is now of compact ( tabloid) size. Its strapline is: "At the heart of i ...
13 March 2008
Those entitled to vote at elections other than public elections are electors, ratepayers and mandataires. The first public election by
secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...
was held on 1 December 1891, following the passing of the law providing for secret ballots on 26 January 1891. Secret ballots are not required for other elections (at Parish Assemblies) and may be conducted by show of hands, although such elections may be conducted by means of secret ballot.


Indirect elections

Since the 1948 constitutional reforms,
Jurat The ''jurats'' () are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law, though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney, however, the jurats are judges of both fact and law (assisted by the ...
s are elected by electoral college rather than by Islandwide vote.


See also

*
Politics of Jersey The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency, unitary state and parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional monarchy. The head of the civil administration and judiciary is the Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq, while the Chief ...
*
Electoral calendar This national electoral calendar for 2022 lists the national/federal elections held in 2022 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January * 16 January: Se ...
*
Electoral system An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and Referendum, referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political ...


References


External links


Voter registration and information on vote.jeElection information on Government of Jersey website
{{Jersey topics