Number of registered voters is the lowest since 2000

With the electoral roll now closed, a total of 27,316 islanders aged 15 and over have signed up, with those aged 16 and over on election day allowed to vote.

That compares with 31,301 in 2020, ahead of the first island-wide election.

That was the highest since 2000 – the century got off to a bad start, with only 25,077 on the roll that year.

Of those registered this year, the vast majority are 50 or over, with the highest percentage – 9.93% – aged 60-64.

At the opposite end of the scale, the fewest number of voters are in the under-30s age range, with those aged 25-29 representing the lowest number, at 4.19% of the total, or 1,145.

There were 1,186 aged from 15-19 and 1,198 aged 20-24.

Nearly 2,000 people signed up in the last week, which registrar-general of electors Collette Falla said was a positive thing.

‘Our outreach team was out and about on an almost daily basis for several months, to ensure that the electoral roll was on everyone’s minds,’ she said.

‘Our job as an election team was to make the sign-up process as easy as possible and ensure everyone had access to the registration information via our campaign. I believe we did both of those things.’

She believed that everyone of voting age would have seen information about how to sign up and the process itself was very easy and took only a few minutes online.

There were adverts online, on social media, on buses and in other locations and there were two separate reminder cards sent to every household where nobody was registered.

‘Whether people chose to exercise their right to register, and ultimately vote, is of course a matter for them as individuals,’ said Mrs Falla.

Forms for the nomination of candidates are now available.

Nominations open on 12 May at 9am and close at 4.30pm on 14 May, with the election taking place on 18 June.

Electoral roll over the years

2025 – 27,316

2020 – 31,301

2016 – 30,320

2012 – 29,751

2008 – 33,523

2004 – 30,135

2000 – 25,077