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Today is the day to have your say at referendum

AN INCONCLUSIVE outcome to today’s island-wide voting referendum – the first in Guernsey’s history – is in nobody’s interests, campaign groups have said in a final rallying call to turn up and vote.

Douzenier Kelvin Hudson is the Ballot Officer for the referendum at Castel Douzaine Room. 
(Picture by Peter Frankland, 22762372)
Douzenier Kelvin Hudson is the Ballot Officer for the referendum at Castel Douzaine Room. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 22762372) / Peter Frankland

Islanders will go to the polls today with the future of the island’s electoral system at stake.

Out of the 31,685 people signed up to the electoral roll, 12,746 people need to participate to make the outcome binding.

Almost a quarter could come from postal voters, with the number of people registered trebling to 2,906 in recent weeks.

Full island-wide voting [Option A] campaigner Deputy Carl Meerveld believes enough interest has been generated to avoid the matter being deferred to the States.

‘I think we are going to pass the 40% mark because of the level of interest we are encountering on the streets and the number of people who have signed up for postal votes compared to last time,’ he said.

‘Having an inconclusive result is in nobody’s interests.

‘I said in the States that this is a wreckerendum, that it is designed to fail and that Option C was designed to take votes away from Option A.

‘I am hopeful the public will see through all the games that have been played.’

Option B campaigner Caroline McManus, who wants the status quo to prevail, was ‘hopeful’ that the threshold would be passed.

‘People are beginning to realise that this is the one opportunity people have had to get out, vote and make their voices heard.

Option C campaigner Rhoderick Matthews, for a hybrid of A and B, was less confident about the turnout.

‘The campaign groups have been starved of funds. The £5,000 allocation really doesn’t cover much more than the leaflet distribution that we have done,’ he said. ‘My particular concern is that it will be seen as a flop if we don’t get to 40%.

‘My late father used to say it was a civic duty and I would hope that a lot of people in Guernsey would take a similar view, so that the States will get a genuine reflection of public opinion.’

Mrs McManus hoped a recent spike in interest would make up for a slow start to the campaign period.

‘We made a decision not to send out leaflets because that would have taken up virtually all our funds, and those costs would obviously be replicated in any island-wide election,’ she said.

‘It was also very hard to organise for the campaign groups to get into schools – that was not facilitated until very late.’

Option D, for four districts and E, island-wide voting for a third of the States every two years, complete the ballot sheet but have not been represented by official groups.

  • Polling stations are open from 8am to 8pm today.

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