Find out what being a deputy involves before 2025 election

A new website has been launched and the opportunity to talk to sitting States members will be provided through the States Assembly & Constitution Committee.

President Carl Meerveld said that after the last election there were induction sessions for members to give them the skills and knowledge to be more effective.

‘This website is starting that process now for candidates before they stand,’ he said.

‘The fact is, a lot of members of the public think the deputies only are paid to just turn up and speak three days a month. What we’re trying to do to let people know exactly what’s involved.’

The website would also be useful for people who want to understand better what deputies do and how government functions, he said. That also applies to the two ‘meet and greet’ events being held later this month at Beau Sejour and St James.

More content will be added to the website in the run-up to the election, such as voting information and candidate manifestos.

If the island had long-standing political parties they would have prepared their candidates and trained them up, but with the consensus system in Guernsey it was particularly important that the information was provided to candidates before they stand.

‘And if that preparation convinces them that the role is not for them, or that they don’t have the time to commit that will be required to be effective, then that’s a good thing.’

It would be good for both the candidate, who could have regretted committing themselves to such a demanding role, and good for electors, since such a person might not have been an effective member of the Assembly.

Sacc would have wanted to provide this information regardless of how the election was being conducted, he said, and it was not simply because of island-wide voting. ‘I think at every election we’ve had members stand and be successful who weren’t particularly well prepared and didn’t understand the demands of the role that they were going into,’ said Deputy Meerveld.

Once all the candidates are enrolled, the States will again be producing a book containing their manifestos, and he said it had been found that this was the most commonly-used source of information by voters last time around.

There were 119 candidates in 2020, but Deputy Meerveld was optimistic that as a result of the preparatory work, next year there would not be so many.

‘My best guess is that we will have fewer candidates and therefore we may look to try to make the manifesto book more comprehensive,’ he said.

• The website is at election2025.gg. The drop-ins will take place on Tuesday 16 April, from 5pm – 8.30pm at Beau Sejour concourse, and on Saturday 20 April from 10am – 1pm at St James cafe.