Who can vote and how?

Who can vote

Voters must be aged 16 years or over on election day and must be on the Electoral Roll.

How do you get on the Electoral Roll?

The Electoral Roll is maintained by the Committee for Home Affairs.

To be eligible to register to vote, you must:

• be 15 years of age or older (you won’t be able to vote until you’re 16)
• have lived in Guernsey for the last two years or for a total of five years at any time
• currently live in Guernsey

 

There are no nationality restrictions to registering on the Electoral Roll.

Register to vote at: www.gov.gg/elections

How do I decide who to vote for?

A few weeks before the election, candidates will send you a manifesto. This is a document which sets out their views on matters which affect the States and islanders. Some candidates might use social media and websites to publish their views and manifesto; the Guernsey Press also publishes information about the candidates.

Some candidates will visit your home. This is your chance to ask them questions about the issues which affect you. Some candidates might ask if you will vote for them, but you don’t have to tell them – your vote is secret.

There will also be a Hustings. This is a meeting
where the public gets a chance to hear what
the candidates have to say and ask them any
questions they may have.

Where do I vote?

You can vote at a polling station or by post. At the 2018 referendum approximately 3,000 voters opted for a postal vote. Most voters enjoy the experience of voting in person at the polling station, however, for some people it’s more convenient to vote by post. If you choose the postal vote option, the ballot paper can then be posted back or, if you have missed the postal vote deadline, you can take your completed postal ballot to any polling station on any polling day.

What happens at the polling station?

Your name and address will be checked on the Electoral Roll and you will be given one ballot paper.

You then go into a polling booth so that no one can look over your shoulder as you vote.

The names of all of the candidates will be listed on the ballot paper. You will have to fill in a small oval shape to indicate who you want to vote for.

You can select up to 38 candidates on the ballot paper, although you do not need to use all of your votes if you do not want to.

When you have finished marking your ballot paper, you fold it in half and put it on the locked ballot box.

What next?

When the polling stations have all closed, the boxes will be unlocked and the ballot papers will be read by electronic counting machines. The 38 candidates who receive the most votes will become our new Deputies and serve in the States of Deliberation for the next four years.