Old rivals join forces on ‘rolling' island-wide election proposal

A proposal will be submitted in the next few days calling for an investigation into rolling elections, and a States debate this summer on whether to change the system.

All deputies would still be elected island-wide. But their terms would end at different times, such as half of all seats being elected every two years for a four-year term, or a third of seats being elected every two years for a six-year term.

The investigation will be proposed in an amendment from long-time political rivals Gavin St Pier and Peter Ferbrache. They hope it will be voted on at the next States meeting this month.

‘The amendment would simply direct the States Assembly & Constitution Committee to look at the merits of a rolling system of island-wide voting and report back to the Assembly by June,’ said Deputy St Pier.

‘It’s an opportunity to trigger discussion of whether the system of island-wide voting can be improved, recognising the very real challenge for most of the electorate in having so many votes available to use from an even larger number of candidates.

‘Quite apart from making it a bit easier for voters, a rolling system could ensure less stop-start in government, and an opportunity to refresh committees more frequently, while ensuring some continuity.’

It is understood that the amendment already has the support of several key figures, including new Policy & Resources president Lyndon Trott and vice-president Heidi Soulsby.

The amendment will be laid against a policy letter containing minor proposals for the 2025 general election submitted by the States Assembly and Constitution Committee, which Deputy St Pier became a member of only last month.

‘Although committee members try not to amend their own committee’s policy letters, I was elected after the policy letter had been finalised, so I had no input into its drafting,’ he said.

‘In any event, although we are still waiting for feedback from all committee members, I’ve discussed it at some length with the committee’s president Carl Meerveld, and I’m pleased to have his support.’

Deputy St Pier decided to take up the issue of electoral reform following the recent publication of a report from the Scrutiny Management Committee.

That report highlighted a range of practical problems with the system of island-wide voting used for the first time in 2020, when all 38 seats were elected on one day from a field of nearly 120 candidates.

‘That report is very good and is the result of a great deal of work by Scrutiny,’ he said.

After years of claims that they were leading rival factions in the Assembly, and two closely-fought elections for the top job in local politics, Deputies St Pier and Ferbrache now find themselves in similar positions as former presidents of Policy & Resources.

‘The electoral system is one of the issues that Peter and I agreed before Christmas we could work on together, so I’m pleased he will be seconding the amendment,’ said Deputy St Pier.