Your vote matters
In the UK, you have to be over 18 to vote, but that isn’t the case in Jersey. If you are 16 or over and have lived in Jersey for either the last 2 years or the last 6 months plus a period totalling 5 years then, regardless of your nationality, you can vote in Jersey elections.
You may not think that it is important to vote in the next election. After all, haven’t you got enough on your plate already?
But, when you think about it, at 16 you can legally:
- Give full consent to medical treatment
- Leave school and enter work or training
- Obtain welfare benefits in your own right
- Consent to sexual relationships
- Get married
- Change your name by deed poll
- Become a director of a company
- Become a member of a trade union
- Join the armed forces
Pretty serious stuff. If our society will let you do these things, shouldn’t you have a right to say who governs society?
The States of Jersey
Your vote gives you the power to decide who will represent you in the States Assembly and:
- Debate and decide issues of public importance
- Represent the people of Jersey
- Pass laws and regulations
- Approve the way that the Island’s income from taxpayers is spent on public services
- Appoint a Council of Ministers (Executive) to be responsible for overseeing public services such as the hospital, schools and transport
- Appoint a Public Accounts Committee and Scrutiny Panels to hold the Executive to account
- Determine policy
- Consider petitions
Who can I vote for?
The elected members of the States of Jersey Assembly are Senators, Connétables (Constables) and Deputies. The only difference between them is the way in which they are elected – when they are in the States Chamber their votes are of equal importance.
Senators (8)
Senators are elected to represent the whole of the Island. You can vote for up to a maximum of 8 Senators, no matter which Parish you live in.
Connétables (12)
Each Parish is led by a Connétable (also known as a Constable). The Connétable has a dual role as both head of the Parish and member of the States of Jersey. You can only vote for one of the candidates standing for Connétable in the Parish where you live.
Deputies (29)
There are 29 Parish Deputies who represent the interests of their Parishes in the States as well as engaging in wider issues affecting the whole Island. Some Parishes with a large population have more than one Deputy and some, for example St. Helier, are divided into Districts. Parishes with smaller populations have only one Deputy for the whole Parish. You can only vote for candidates who are standing for Deputy in the Parish or District where you live.
How do I vote?
Am I registered?
First you will need to check whether your name is on the electoral register in your Parish. Contact your Parish Hall to find out.
How to register for voting
If you are not registered, you can download a voter registration form – Once completed, return it to your Parish Hall.
Check out the Candidates
You can check out all the candidates who are standing for election on this website. There will be candidates with opinions that are similar to yours. If you don’t vote for those candidates, don’t expect them to get elected. Choose which candidates you would like to represent you in the States Assembly and vote for them.
When do I vote?
You can either vote on the day at your polling station or you can vote in advance at one of the pre-polling stations.
