An exercise in democratic logistics

With the first postal ballots due to be delivered through letter boxes from today the longest election period in island history begins in earnest.

By tonight, it is possible the first ballots will be cast, or at least be on their way.

It will be a week before the votes stop coming in.

Logistically, it is a huge test of the stamina and planning not just of the team organising the election but of the postal services and the dedicated group of volunteers organising the count.

To get more than 21,000 ballot papers out to homes across the island and back by 8pm on Wednesday is a test, too, of the dedication of voters.

Those at the end of this week’s delivery schedule will need to carve out time in the evenings or this weekend to make their considered final decision on the 38 names (or fewer) they wish to select before popping the completed ballot paper inside Envelope A – along with their signed declaration of identity – and then putting the whole lot into Envelope B before posting it (no stamp required).

Many will decide to buy themselves a few extra hours by taking their completed ballot to a polling station, when they open, and handing it over directly to an election official rather than trusting to the post.

It might not be as convenient, but it will offer some peace of mind and allow a little of the old election spirit to return.

Quite how busy those polling stations will be is hard to know.

It seems unlikely there will be queues all week but there are bound to be pinch points and some busier places and times.

Meanwhile, the campaigning goes on. Hustings, leaflets and a determination by some candidates to knock on as many doors as possible.

In the process the island might get to know the views of their would-be representatives a little better.

The hope has to be that the flow of information and understanding goes both ways.

For you cannot represent anyone without understanding them.