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Public Elections: amendments to legislation and administration (P.110/2013) – amendment (P.110/2013 Amd.) – comments.

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STATES OF JERSEY

PUBLIC ELECTIONS: AMENDMENTS TO LEGISLATION AND ADMINISTRATION (P.110/2013) – AMENDMENT (P.110/2013 Amd.) – COMMENTS

Presented to the States on 4th November 2013 by the Privileges and Procedures Committee

STATES GREFFE

2013   Price code: A  P.110 Amd.Com.

COMMENTS

The Privileges and Procedures Committee makes the following comments on the amendments  of  the  Comité  des   Connétable s  to  its  proposition  concerning  Public Elections: amendments tolegislation and administration (P.110/2013) –

  1. PPC accepts this amendment, which will provide that only those registering for the first time can have their name added to the supplementary register. This will mean that any person moving house from one Parish to another immediately prior to an election will have to vote in the area they have just left, and will not vote in their new district. They are, however, not deprived of a vote.
  2. (i)  PPC accepts this amendment. The revised wording of the Comité ensures  that  it  better  reflects  Recommendation  8  in  the  report, namely that a notification card should only in the case of an election of States members, and not for other purely Parish positions. It restricts the recommendation a little further, in that it stipulates a general election for members of the States, and this would therefore rule out the issue of a notification card for a by-election.

(ii)  PPC accepts this amendment.

  1. (i) & (ii)  PPC rejects this amendment.

The Sub-Committee was mindful throughout the review of how to facilitate voting for those with mobility problems or other disability. For this reason, amongst other things, it had reviewed the rules for postal voting.

It had been made clear to members of the Sub-Committee while they were campaigning that many of the elderly and infirm did not like to receive home visits when they were alone, and did not want people they did not know coming into their homes. Those who still wished to vote by pre poll would continue to be able to do so.

In relation to prisoners on remand, these were currently entitled to vote, but there was no mechanism in law to allow them to exercise their vote. The Committee proposed postal voting.

  1. The  Committee  accepted  the  correction  proposed  by  the  Comité  des Connétable s.
  2. The PPC does not accept the amendment to place candidates' photos in a polling  station,  rather  than  in  the  voting  booth.  One  of  the  Committee's guiding principles in these amendments is that the public should find it as easy as possible to register to vote and to cast their vote, with all unnecessary impediment being removed. One of the ways in which it will be easier for the voter to make  sure  they place  a cross alongside  the  name  of the correct candidate is to have photographs of the candidates in the precise place where they are voting. The Jurats and the public meeting did feel that photographs of candidates would be useful in the booths to assist the public in making their choices, especially when there were a lot of candidates.

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P.110/2013 Amd.Com.