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Proposed changes to Jersey’s Elections Law

A series of changes to the Elections Law have been proposed by the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) to come into effect for next year’s elections to the States Assembly, to be held on Sunday 7 June 2026.  

If approved, the biggest change to the Elections Law would see all Islanders who are eligible to vote automatically being added to the Electoral Roll. In 2022, when Islanders last went to the polls, only 42% of those registered cast their vote while only 75% of all eligible Islanders were on the Electoral Roll.  

The change is designed to make voting more straight-forward for all Islanders.  

All Islanders over the age of 16 who have been ordinarily resident in Jersey for two years, or who have been a resident for six months but have a cumulative residency of more than five years, can be registered to vote. Currently, Islanders must opt in by registering on the Electoral Roll with their Parish Hall. 

Under the terms of the proposals, Islanders would automatically be registered if they meet the eligibility criteria, while the right to public access of the electoral register would be removed. 

Alongside automatic voter registration, the PPC has also lodged amendments to Jersey’s Election Law, which include: 

• Proposals to allow all prisoners in Jersey to vote; 

• Hustings schedules to be decided and co-ordinated by the Jersey Electoral Authority; 

• Decisions as to where polling stations should be would sit with the Jersey Electoral Authority; 

• Extending the handling of complaints related to an election 

• Changes to the procedures for pre-poll and postal voting. 

Connétable Karen Shenton-Stone, Chair of the PPC, said: ‘Evidence suggests that jurisdictions with higher civic engagement tend to be happier and healthier due to the greater sense of community involvement. Removing barriers to voting is essential so that it is easier for Islanders to participate. 

We do not want scenarios where people are unsure whether they are registered to vote, are uncertain of the eligibility criteria, or of Islanders turning up to a polling station only to be turned away because they are not registered. 

‘We hope that the introduction of automatic voter registration will start to turn the tide in terms of civic engagement in Jersey.’ 

If approved by the States Assembly, the States Greffe would run a dedicated campaign to inform Islanders of the changes. The proposals are due to be debated during the sitting beginning on Tuesday 13 May. 

Connétable Shenton-Stone added: ‘Other measures to improve voter turnout have been discussed. We know that allowing online digital voting has been one option that has been put forward by Islanders but, at present, we do not have the required confidence in the technology to hold safe and fair elections in this way. 

‘We know that getting voter turnout in Jersey to the level we would want it to be at will not happen in the space of one electoral cycle. However, we hope that the Assembly will support these measures and that they will begin the process of modernising our electoral system.’ 

To read the proposition on automatic voter registration, visit the States Assembly website here. Read the proposition on changes to the Election Law here. 

Further changes to the Election Law to reintroduce Senators are expected, following the ‘in principle’ vote by the Assembly on 1 April. Revisions to the Law to enable this are currently being drafted and will be brought before the Assembly for debate at a later date this year. More information can be found on the related news story.