Anyone thinking about standing for election should make the most of the time available to start work on figuring out a campaign plan, gather support and sign up to the Vote.je newsletter for guidance and resources for prospective candidates.
The States Assembly is Jersey’s elected parliament. It works on behalf of the people of the Island and is made up of 49 elected States Members who are responsible for:
Every 4 years there is an election where Jersey residents can put themselves forward to become – or be re-elected – as a States Member.
Jersey has general elections to the States Assembly every 4 years. By-elections are held to fill any casual vacancies as they arise, for example, if a States Member decided to stand down part way through a political term.
Eligible individuals can stand for election as independent candidates or as a member of a registered political party. There are different types of elected States Member – you can read more about this below.
At election time, voters have as many votes as there are seats to be filled in their Parish or Constituency, as well as 9 island-wide Senators. Votes can be made by eligible voters by post (whether on or off-island), before election day at ‘pre-poll’, or on election day itself at a polling station. Votes are counted and announced after the polls have closed and the candidates with the highest number of votes win.
Successful election candidates are formally ‘sworn-in’ at the Royal Court and officially become States Members for the next four year political term.
Are you inspired to work on behalf of your Island and all of those who live in Jersey, including future generations? Being elected as a States Member is a reward and a challenge like no other because you can create positive change, improve the lives of Islanders, and represent all sections of our society.
What you do and say, and how you vote in the States Assembly has a direct effect on the new laws and regulations that govern all of us. You can highlight issues that you and those you represent feel are not receiving the attention they deserve. You will play a part in ensuring our society and economy are fit for purpose today and into the future.
An essential step to becoming an election candidate is to check your eligibility to stand for the role you’d like. Anyone who wants to stand for any elected role in the States Assembly must:
Anyone intending to stand for election as Connétable in any Parish except St. Helier needs to:
Candidates for the role of Connétable of St. Helier do not have to live in St. Helier, but must be a St. Helier ratepayer.
There are six key steps to becoming an official election candidate in an election to the States Assembly:
The States Assembly has different types of elected Member. For first-time voters and anyone not yet familiar with Jersey’s political system, it’s worth reading on to understand what this actually means.
Currently, there are three types of States Member:
Islanders are represented in the States Assembly by 9 Senators, 28 Deputies, and 12 Connétables.
Connétables are elected to be the head of a Parish. Anyone elected as a Connétable also becomes an elected Member of the States Assembly (sometimes referred to as ‘ex-officio’). Connétables are voted for by residents of the Parish. There is one Connétable per Parish, which means there are 12 in the Assembly.
On a day-to-day basis, Connétables can expect to divide their time between Parish work and States Assembly work. Connétables’ work can include activities and responsibilities such as:
As an elected Member of the States Assembly, a Connétable’s duties will also include:
If a Connétable has taken on any additional roles in the Assembly, for example, as a Minister, or on a Scrutiny Panel or Committee, their responsibilities may also include:
Deputies are elected to represent a constituency. There are nine constituencies in Jersey. These are formed based on population numbers so that each Deputy represents approximately the same number of Islanders. Some constituencies are made up of multiple Parishes; some are a single Parish. As the most-populated area of Jersey, St. Helier is split into three separate constituencies.
Candidates for Deputy must convince the people in their constituency to vote for them at election time. There are currently 28 Deputies in the Assembly.
Deputies’ duties and responsibilities can include:
If a Deputy has taken on any additional roles in the Assembly, for example, as a Minister, on a Scrutiny Panel or Committee, their responsibilities may also include:
Senators are elected to represent the entire Island. From the point of view of someone wishing to stand for election as a Senator, this means having to run an election campaign which seeks support from all Jersey voters. There are currently 9 senatorial roles.
Senators’ duties include:
If a Senator has taken on any additional roles in the Assembly, for example as a Minister, or on a Scrutiny Panel or Committee, their responsibilities may also include:
If you want to stand for election to become a States Member you need to decide which role you want to aim for. It’s completely your decision. Remember you can only submit one nomination form.
As explained above, the powers and responsibilities of each role are identical in many aspects, for example: all types of elected Member have the right to bring proposals for debate to the States Assembly, and all have the power to vote on those proposals. All elected Members are eligible to be appointed as Chief Minister.
The key differences are in terms of who you represent and the quantity of people you’ll have to convince to vote for you. For Connétables, a notable difference is that you are head of a Parish and a States Member. For Deputies and Senators the key difference is whether you want to have an Island-wide mandate representing everyone, or if you want to keep your representation localised to one constituency.
Islanders who decide to stand for election must complete a nomination form and gather written support of ten other people who are willing to back their candidacy. If you are thinking about standing for election, it’s advisable to find supporters as early as you can so you have plenty of time to check they are eligible to nominate you.
The nomination form is a document which provides details such as:
The rules for the nominations process are set out in Part 4A of the Elections (Jersey) Law 2022.
Candidates’ proposers and seconders must:
If you are intending to stand for election in a St. Helier constituency, be certain that your proposers live in the correct constituency and are registered to vote there. Proposers and seconders should check with their Parish Hall that they are on the electoral register and eligible to nominate the candidate. Names, addresses and electoral roll numbers given on nomination forms need to match the electoral register. To avoid mistakes, ask your Parish to check and confirm these details.
Candidates should not underestimate how long it may take to find eligible people to nominate them. Start early to avoid a last minute rush.
The manifesto is your opportunity to communicate to voters in writing to explain who you are and what you stand for. Vote.je publishes each manifesto in an official printed election information booklet and online.
Things to think about to make it easy for voters to pick you:
The text you decide to submit will be published as-is. Ensure you proofread it carefully to give voters the best impression of you.
Voters sometimes refer back to manifestos from previous elections. If you have stood for election in Jersey before, don’t be surprised if you are asked about the contents of your earlier manifestos.
In addition to written manifestos, Vote.je invites all candidates to record a brief video for publication online. These videos are candidates’ opportunity to present themselves on camera to outline key campaign messages and top priorities. Further information about the videos will be provided closer to the next election.
The manifesto videos will appear on the Vote.je website and on Vote.je’s YouTube channel.
Hustings are public meetings where election candidates can be asked questions by voters. Because the States Assembly has different types of elected Members, there are typically hustings events for candidates standing to be:
Hustings are usually hosted by an individual who acts as a neutral referee who takes questions from the audience and ensures that each candidate has fair opportunity to answer. Candidates are given a set amount of time to answer each question – often limited to one minute – and the order in which candidates answer changes so that everyone gets to be the first to answer.
Hustings are a great way for voters to see how candidates act under pressure. Candidates can use hustings to prove that they can think on their feet and communicate effectively to an audience. This is similar to parts of States Meetings and Public Hearings held by Scrutiny Panels, where States Members can ask Government Ministers on-the-spot questions.
Ideally, elections have more candidates than there are available seats. In Jersey elections prior to 2022, candidates who faced no opposition were ‘elected unopposed’, which meant they did not have to face an election.
In 2022, a new option was introduced to ballot papers to ensure that all election candidates must receive a majority of votes to be elected. This is option is called ‘None of the Candidates’.
‘None of the Candidates’ only appears on ballot papers when there are either the same number of candidates as there are vacancies, or fewer candidates than vacancies. Having this option means that candidates are not automatically elected without opposition. If the majority of voters chose ‘None of the Candidates’, a new nominations process would be triggered and prospective candidates would be invited to stand.
It is possible for candidates who lost to ‘None of the Candidates’ in the initial election to stand again.
If you are standing for election and you do not have a track record as an elected Member you should think about how best to demonstrate what you would bring to the States Assembly.
Unlike other jobs, there is no formal job description for being a States Member. However, there are many attributes that make individuals well-suited to being an elected representative.
What do voters value?
If you have transferrable skills, make sure people know about them. If you have success with community-based initiatives, volunteering or other unpaid work, include this in your manifesto, or talk about these experiences when you are speaking with voters. Do you have a connection with a particular group of Islanders? Think about how including this in your campaign could help persuade that group – and others – to support you.
There are several things you can do right now to learn more about what States Members do, how States business works, and what’s required of election candidates. Here’s a list to get you started:
As the 2026 election approaches, Vote.je will provide further information about what is involved in campaigning and how you can be nominated as a candidate.
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