Note of discussion on voter turnout

On 20 June the Policy Centre held a discussion meeting on voter turnout. Sir Mark Boleat, the Centre’s Senior Adviser, summarised the available data based on the Centre’s Research Report Election turnout in Jersey. Comments were then made by -

Constable Karen Shenton Stone, Chair of the States Privileges and Procedures Committee
Kevin Keen OBE, Founder of Leadership Jersey
Cassie Graham, a recent participant in the Jersey Youth Parliament.

This was followed by an open discussion.

Summary of comments by Sir Mark Boleat

• Turnout has consistently been low - 44% on average over the past 30 years. Turnout was 42% in 2022, the third lowest.
• There is huge variation in the turnout. In 2022: 65+ - 53%, Under 35s – 17%; Rural areas - 40%. Urban areas - 18%;Owner-occupiers – 41% Tenants - 16%.
• The variations are much wider than in the UK. Tenants and young people are three times as likely to vote in the UK than in Jersey.
• Jersey is bottom of the international league table for turnout.
• People don’t want to vote. Reasons for people not voting in the 2022 election were wouldn’t have made a difference (30%), don’t trust the political system (28%), not interested in the election (24%) and didn’t know enough about the candidates (22%).
• Voter registration is also low in Jersey. For the 2022 election only 75% of those eligible to vote registered to do so.
• Postal voting is difficult in Jersey, easy in Guernsey and UK.
• In Guernsey’s general election the previous day, voter registration and turnout were well down on the 2020 election. And voters on average used only 22 of their 38 votes. The way Guernsey manages its electoral register means that its published turnout figure is artificially inflated compared with Jersey’s.

Summary of comments by Constable Karen Shenton Stone

• Automatic voter registration is being introduced. This should increase the number of people voting but is likely to lower the published turnout figure.
• The 2026 election will be held on a Sunday, the most popular day for elections worldwide.
• The Jersey Electoral Authority will take on responsibility for coordinating hustings and deciding the location of polling stations.
• It is intended to make pre-polling easier and to simplify the postal voting procedure.
• The States Greffe has a substantial outreach programme with schools and is working with Nottingham University and University College London on voter engagement.
• A “plan to stand” campaign is already underway.
• One of the strengths of the Jersey political system is that members of the Assembly are easily accessible.
• It is important that politicians are able to deliver on their promises. This is easier the constables at the parish level but more difficult for members of the Assembly.
  
  

Summary of comments by Kevin Keen

• The consequences of people not choosing to vote can be severe. In the USA, 90 million people chose not to vote in 2024, contributing to the election of Donald Trump.
• People have a duty to vote. Compulsory voting should be considered.
• There needs to be a better understanding that the actions of politicians affect the day-to-lives of Jersey people.
• Independent candidates make promises which they are unable to implement. Party politics would overcome this. Politicians have to be able to deliver not just promise.

Summary of comments by Cassie Graham

• Most young people have no understanding of or interest in the political system in Jersey.
• The Jersey curriculum includes the political system but only with a vague sentence not a specific list to cover, leaving it up to schools’ interpretation. In practice this is covered in a tick box way.
• There is an absence of in-depth political education.
• Young people get information through social media. The political system is very poor at using social media.
• There is a lack of feedback after people’s views have been sought.

Comments in open discussion

• Increasing voter turnout requires an understanding of the psychology of voting and effective marketing. Visualisation initiatives are needed. In the run up to an election the key action is to get the vote out. Parties and trade unions are good at doing this but they are not well established in Jersey.
• The Children’s and Young People’s Opinion Survey showed that while adults may listen to the views of young people there is often no action.
• There is a need to “get stuff done”. Making promises without following though is a major problem.
• Highlands is running programmes on the political system but is always in catch-up mode. It is developing a sixth form programme.
• Political engagement should not only be in the run up to elections.
• The States Greffe runs an extensive programme with schools.
• Voter turnout is not a good indication of civic engagement. There is extensive civic engagement in Jersey, for example involvement in charities. But the international league tables measure voter turnout.
• Policies that are right for the long term may well not be popular.
• Lack of trust in the political system partly stems from poor policy making. The Government has an excellent policy engagement framework but this is frequently not followed.
• Parishes are able to do things quickly but the same does not apply to the Government.
• Political education is a long term issue and there are no quick wins.
• The States Assembly has a new website.
• The Greffe is working on a simpler postal voting system.

‍