When the States agreed that it could not countenance the idea of leaving the electorate with a democratic deficit, members would have almost certainly been hoping that a by-election would not be necessary, at least in the short term.
So the practical idea of leaving such an event until there were three vacancies, rather than every time one might emerge, was junked, in favour of ‘doing the right thing’.
Of course, under modern election methods, doing the right thing costs. And it costs quite a bit. The latest estimate is in the region of £200,000, compared to some £40,000 to fill a vacancy in a parish or electoral district.
And that is without knowing how many candidates there will be and without confirming the levels of state-subsidised support they will be granted in terms of election literature and collateral.
As they say, we are where we are. One hopes that we can agree a proportionate election for just a single vacancy. Do we need the full suite of polling stations? A telephone book (well they are getting so much slimmer, aren’t they?) of manifestos?
The Guernsey Press will be happy to do its bit with candidate podcast interviews, so popular back in the summer.
But let’s make this by-election rapid, proportionate, and inexpensive, and do democracy a favour.
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