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STATES OF JERSEY
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COMPOSITION OF THE STATES: REVISED STRUCTURE AND REFERENDUM (P.75/2007) – SECOND AMENDMENT (P.75/2007 AMD.(2)) – COMMENTS
Presented to the States on 16th July 2007 by the Privileges and Procedures Committee
STATES GREFFE
COMMENTS
PPC does not support this amendment. As set out in P.75/2007 the Committee believes that it is essential that a referendum is held on the proposed way forward but PPC does not believe it is appropriate to set a higher requirement for a successful outcome as suggested by Deputy Le Fondré. Even though PPC is hopeful that there will be a high turnout in the referendum the level of support that would be needed if Deputy Le Fondré's amendment was adopted makes a successful outcome almost impossible in practice.
The Committee interprets entitled to vote' as meaning those persons who are on the electoral register at the time of the referendum as these are the only people who are then entitled to vote'. There will be many other people in the Island who are not on the electoral roll who may be entitled to register' but these people will not be entitled to vote in the referendum if they are not registered. 100% of registered electors are therefore entitled to vote' for the purposes of this amendment.
If there is less than a 50% turnout in the referendum then, under the terms of Deputy Le Fondré's amendment, the proposals would be automatically rejected. PPC agrees that such a low turnout would be disappointing but, as can be seen in the figures below, the required outcome for success if the amendment is adopted is very demanding –
If t h e re is a 50% turnout every single person must vote in favour. If t h e re is a 60% turnout – 83.3% must vote in favour.
If t h e re is a 70% turnout – 71.4% must vote in favour.
If t h e re is a 80% turnout – 62.5% must vote in favour.
If there was, in Jersey terms, an exceptional turnout of 80% in the referendum and, say, 60% voted in favour of the proposals, reform could not then be progressed because the 60% would be less than the 62.5% requirement shown above. In those circumstances PPC believes that those electors who had taken the trouble to go out and vote and shown, by normal democratic standards, resounding support for the proposals would understandably be extremely aggrieved.