How to Vote? | Vote.je

Registration

The first step to being a voter in Jersey is to be registered to vote. Click here to register online, or contact your Parish of residence to get registered. If you have moved since the last election or are not sure if you are on the register you should check with your Parish.

Ways to vote

There are 3 ways of voting in Jersey elections:

• At a polling station on the day of the election
• By postal vote
• At the ‘pre-poll’ station the week before election day

The options available to you depend on which electoral register you are on. If you are on the main electoral register you can choose your preferred option. This is particularly useful if you know you are likely to be off-Island for election day, for example, if you are at university.

If you registered after the deadline for the main register, you will be on the supplementary electoral register and can only vote at a polling station on the day of the election.

Electronic, online or digital voting

Voting in Jersey elections is not digital or electronic. At present, voters use paper ballots only.

Where to vote

Where you live influences where you vote and what you can vote for. If you aren’t sure which constituency you live in you should use the Vote.je Constituency Finder. Ahead of an election Vote.je will confirm details of polling stations, including locations, opening times and which ones you can use.

What if you’re sick or unwell on election day?

Contact your Parish Hall as soon as you can if you or someone you care for is unwell. Parishes can arrange for votes to be taken so that registered voters are not prevented from participating due to sickness.

For more information about elections in Jersey, click here.

FAQs for voters

How do I register to vote?

There are three ways you can register:

online at votejersey.wpengine.com/register
by returning the printed form sent to your home each year by your Parish Hall
by visiting your Parish Hall in person

Is it possible to vote electronically?

You can’t vote electronically at the current time. On 22 March 2016, the States Assembly agreed to a proposition from Deputy G.P. Southern of St. Helier, to research and trial electronic voting systems to introduce a safe and secure mechanism to enable eligible voters to vote electronically. A lot of work and research needs to be done before Jersey can introduce electronic voting. Islanders need to be sure that any electronic system is accurate and secure, and gives voters and candidates confidence in the voting process.

I am not British. Can I vote?

You can register to vote if you have lived in Jersey for two years; or if you have lived in Jersey for six months, plus a period that totals five years. You do NOT have to be a British citizen.

I will be 16 just before the election. Can I vote?

You can register to vote if you are, or will be aged 16 or over by the date of the Election in 2026.

I asked for a postal vote, but now I want to vote in person

You can do this. When you visit your polling station on election day, make sure you take all the paperwork you received when you planned to cast a postal vote, including your ballot paper. See one of the officials at the polling station and you will be able to use your ballot paper to vote in person.

I’ll be out of the Island on election day, what do I do?

If you aren’t going to be in Jersey on Election Day, then you can cast a postal vote or pre-poll vote instead. More information on different ways of voting will be available soon.

I’ve only been in Jersey for 2 years. Can I vote?

Yes. You can register to vote if you have lived in Jersey for two years; or if you have lived in Jersey for six months, plus a period that totals five years.

My name has been accidentally omitted from the electoral register. Can I still vote?

If you apply to pre-poll vote or to postal vote and you find that your name is not on the register, there is still something you can do. If you think there has been a mistake, you should advise the Judicial Greffier that you believe there has been an error. The Judicial Greffier may ask you for additional information to support what you have said. If the Judicial Greffier is satisfied that there has been an administrative error, your name will be added to the copy of the register and they will make the necessary arrangements for you to be able to vote. If you arrive at the polling station to vote in person on on Election Day and you find that your name is not on the electoral register, you should ask to speak to a parish official.

When you vote, a number is placed against your name and that number is on your voting slip. Does that mean your vote can be tracked and is not anonymous?

An electoral number is marked on the counterfoil of the ballot paper, as it is in England and Wales.

The Public Elections Law requires that:

Voting shall be by a secret ballot
Ballot papers and counterfoil to be numbered serially
The voter’s electoral number is marked on the counterfoil
An elector must cast their vote unaccompanied in private, unless they are ill, disabled or need assistance with reading.

Access to the Polling Station is restricted to the Autorisé and assistants, the candidates or their nominated agents and the electors – who can only remain at the Polling Station as long as it is necessary to cast their vote. The ballot box is sealed before the ballot commences and remains so during the ballot.

The ballot boxes are opened after the poll has closed and the ballot papers are counted in such a way that the serial numbers contained on the reverse cannot be seen. Before the votes are counted the counterfoils of used ballot papers are placed in a sealed envelope.

All of the used and unused ballot papers, the counterfoils and the electoral lists must be forwarded in sealed envelopes to the Judicial Greffier as soon as possible after the election who is required to keep them for 12 months. Unless required in a case before the Royal Court, they are then destroyed. By law, the packages containing the used ballot papers and counterfoils cannot be opened except where ordered by the Royal Court in the event that the count is disputed or the decision of the Autorisé as to a disputed ballot paper is disputed.