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STATES OF JERSEY
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND BANK HOLIDAYS: DESIGNATION OF 19TH OCTOBER 2011 (P.33/2011) – COMMENTS
Presented to the States on 29th March 2011 by the Comité des Connétable s
STATES GREFFE
2011 Price code: A P.33 Com.(2)
COMMENTS
Deputy Southern 's proposition comments on the financial and manpower implications for the States but not for the parishes. The Comité wishes to make the following comments –
- As 2011 will be the first occasion on which there is a general election for Senators, Connétable s and Deputies on the same day, it will not be possible to conclude whether voter turn-out from making the polling day a Bank Holiday is any different to that which might be achieved should polling day have been a Bank Holiday for previous elections. For this reason, the Comité considers polling day should remain on a Wednesday to provide a benchmark against which the variation in voter turn-out can be measured if polling day is on a Bank Holiday in a future year.
- There will be financial and manpower implications for the parishes and additional costs if staff are required to work on a Bank Holiday.
- The initial response from a number of those who assist voluntarily as Adjoints indicates that they will not be available on a Sunday, and it is therefore unlikely they will be available on a Bank Holiday.
- The States has recently agreed an amendment to the Public Elections (Jersey) Law 2002 which permits postal votes returned to the Judicial Greffe by noon on the day of the poll to be accepted (see Draft Public Elections (Amendment No. 4) (Jersey) Law 201- (P.14/2011)) but as postal deliveries will soon be reduced to 5 days (Monday–Friday), the deadline for receipt of postal votes would be cut back to noon on the day prior to the poll if the poll is held on a Bank Holiday.
- Many shops and businesses are open on a Bank Holiday, so staff would be required to work and would not have the day off to vote.
- Public transport, for example the bus service, is limited on a Bank Holiday, and this might make it more difficult for some electors to attend their polling station.
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P.33/2011 Com.(2)