‘A sad day for democracy’
The lack of candidates to fill the vacant seats on Alderney’s States serves as a reminder of one of the most basic principles of democracy: citizen participation.
After all, if would-be voters have no choice over who represents them then they become disenfranchised.
Alderney representative Alex Snowdon called it a sad day for democracy – and he was right.
Representative democracy relies on competition. Without it there is not only no choice, but no accountability and no mandate.
Uncontested elections mean that candidates do not face scrutiny at the ballot box and voters are not adequately represented.
So why aren’t more candidates standing for election?
The issue of pay is likely part of the problem in Alderney, where the average politician receives less than half that of their counterparts in Guernsey. The result is that most either need private wealth or a second job.
It’s not surprising then that there is a lack of diversity in government, with only one woman and an average age of over 65.
Of course, this problem is not unique to Alderney.
Sark has not had a contested election since 2018 and has struggled to fill seats since it became a democracy in 2008.
Its next general election is on 14 December – here's hoping more candidates can be encouraged to stand.