Electronic voting debut beset with faults
SIMULTANEOUS electronic voting was all set to make its debut during yesterday’s States meeting.
But technical problems meant the new process failed to work.
Bailiff Richard McMahon had described the occasion as a landmark day, but warned deputies from the outset that ‘there is no “phone a friend”’.
The Assembly’s optimism was dashed as a series of failures led to consternation and confusion.
The first item due to be determined by the new system, which was meant to replace the vocal shouts of ‘pour’ and ‘contre’, was a very simple proposition to note a report and set of accounts – in this case, the 2021 annual report of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. As a document of the work of a largely autonomous regulator, it could not be subject to any complicated series of amendments.
However, following tributes to former deputies, two extended periods of questions on committee update statements and a lengthy question time, States members were kept waiting until the afternoon session before having a chance to try out their new means of discharging their democratic responsibilities.
When the moment arrived, the system appeared not to work and the proposition to note the report was instead carried by an oral vote, without dissent.
‘This is digitisation at its best,’ Mr McMahon said with apparent irony.
A result was later published for that vote on the relevant States website. It showed 32 votes in favour and eight members not voting. However, it remained unclear whether those marked absent had chosen not to be in the Chamber at the time or whether they had attempted to vote but had failed.
The baton was subsequently handed to the Guernsey Electricity annual report for the honour of being the first to be decided electronically but the system failed again in the late afternoon, leading to a hiatus in which staff attempted to resurrect the system.
After some time, the Bailiff tried again and reminded members that they could only vote if in their seats. However, there would be an exception, in that one member was in his seat but had been unable to connect to the system. Ironically, this was Deputy Carl Meerveld, the president of the States Assembly and Constitution Committee which has been responsible for introducing electronic voting to the States.
After half an hour, the system gave a result of 33-1 with two abstentions and four members not voting.
A recorded vote was requested and this confirmed the result was accurate. This was despite Deputy Meerveld being recorded as not voting electronically and then clearly calling ‘pour’ in the recorded vote.
