Vale douzaine election deferral is defended by former deputy
THE candidate responsible for deferring last Wednesday’s Vale douzenier election has defended her actions, saying it was the 'fair and democratic' thing to do.
Anger erupted at the parish meeting when the deferral law was exercised – former deputy Mary Lowe able to call on seven votes to delay the election from the floor of the meeting– meaning that the election was postponed for a couple of weeks, and a polling station set up for the day.
Mrs Lowe said she appreciated that it did disappoint many of about 80 people at the meeting, most of whom expected to vote that night.
However, she said it was important that everyone on the parish’s electoral roll was given a proper opportunity to vote, especially because island-wide voting has removed parish and district deputies. ‘Under the current system, turning up at a set time of 7pm and getting elected with 30 or 40 votes from those few able to attend isn’t in my opinion a fair and democratic election,’ said Mrs Lowe, who was a States member from 1994 to 2020.
‘Flexibility to vote at a time to suit the electorate during the day or evening should be the norm. Times have changed, many people have busy lifestyles where it is no longer convenient to go and vote at 7pm. If it was the deputies it would be voted in the same way.
‘Can you imagine for those standing for deputy, the electorate were told you can only vote at 7pm and that’s it, there would be an outcry, rightly so. It shouldn’t be any different for a candidate standing for a seat on the douzaine.’
The other two candidates in the election are Nigel Cleal and Ann Setters.
One parishioner, Wendy Hockey, attended the meeting and was so incensed with the outcome that she wrote to the Guernsey Press to air her complaints.
She said the meeting was a farce.
‘The law is an ass and needs changing. Whatever States body is responsible I am laying down the gauntlet, not that I expect anything to be done.
‘So Vale voters get to the douzaine room in mid-August and vote even if you wouldn’t normally do so.
‘Also don’t forget it is costing you money anyway, whether you wanted it spent or not, just on the say so of probably less than 10% of the people in that room.’
The deferral law states that if seven people at the parish meeting stand in support of a delay to allow a full election day, that is legally binding.
Mrs Lowe agreed that the law needed revisiting, and proposed a move to automatically hold contested elections over a full day. Candidates in uncontested elections would be automatically appointed, she said. The Vale douzenier election is now likely to take place on 18 August, if the States Assembly & Constitution Committee agrees.
