The States of Election has only one purpose, to elect a new

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 thei ...

to the

Courts A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. The first record of a Jurat in Guernsey was in 1179, and a roll of honour listing Jurats since 1299 is in the Royal Court. A Royal Commission of 1607 identified a body of "...the Bailiff and Jurats, with the Constables and Dozens of every parish" to elect the Jurats of the Royal Court. In the 1770s the term ''States of Election'' was used.

Election process

A prospective candidate must be proposed and seconded. Only someone receiving over 50% of votes cast at the secret ballot can be elected. Originally, if elected, the duty was for life. In 1950 this was changed to retirement at 70, with the possibility of an extension to 75. Changed again in 2008, to retirement at 70 with an extension to 72 possible, the number of Jurats was increased from 12 to 16. Only one vacancy may be filled at any one meeting of the States of Election. The duty is unpaid and each person voting should do so based on their conscience. Election as a Jurat is the highest honour that Guernsey can confer on a resident of the Island.

1948

The Reform (Guernsey) Law, 1948, as amended set out the constitution of the election committee: * The Bailiff * The

s (12 originally, 16 from 2008) * The Rectors of the parish churches (10) (or Priests-in-Charge from 1984) * H. M. Procureur * H. M. Comptroller * The People's Deputies (45 originally, 38 from 2016) * 34 Douzaine Representatives, elected by the Douzaines as follows: :* 9 from

St. Peter Port St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. P ...

:* 5 from St. Sampson :* 5 from the Castel :* 5 from the

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipali ...

:* 4 from St. Martin :* 2 from St. Saviour :* 1 from

St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

:* 1 from St. Pierre du Bois :* 1 from the

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

:* 1 from Torteval The Reform (Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2003 permits changes to the number of Douzaine representatives if the population of parishes change. The Royal Court (Reform) Law 2008 made it possible for new Jurats to retire at 72 and for the number of Jurats to increase to 16. It also created the position of 'Juré-Justicier Suppléant'.

References

{{Guernsey topics , state=collapsed Guernsey law

Election process

1948

See also

References