Unsuccessful candidates secure Guernsey election recount

Saturday 10 October 2020

Four unsuccessful candidates in Guernsey's island-wide election have succeeded in securing a recount in a bid to supplant the lowest polling politician.

The island's Bailiff accepted the application yesterday afternoon, although the scale of that recount is yet to be decided.

In a statement made yesterday evening, Pierre Ehmann, who finished in 40th place with 6,335 votes, revealed that he and three others had applied for a recount.

The other signatories are Catherine Hall (6,281 votes), Scott Ogier (6,097 votes) and Garry Collins (6,076 votes). They are aiming to supplant returning Deputy Carl Meerveld, who finished in 38th position with 6,475 votes. Meanwhile Fergus Dunlop, who finished 39th with 6,353 votes, told Express earlier today that he had accepted the result. 

The application has been accepted by the Bailiff as it met the criteria for a recount. 

Pictured: The letter sent by the four election candidates to the Bailiff's Office. 

"I'm tremendously proud of how well I did, thank you everyone for the messages and comments of support," said Mr Ehmann. "Having spoken to a few other candidates today in the 2% bracket we have decided to call for a recount - reflecting upon a lot of your requests as well!

"We do not expect the outcome to change, but as Election 2020 is the first to be undertaken using island wide voting as well as the first Guernsey election to utilise electronic vote-counting technology, we believe it is legitimate to check twice."

The Bailiff's Office told Express at 17:30 that there was not yet a final decision on how the recount will work in practice or when it will start. 

One of the big questions is whether all votes will be recounted, or just those for the individuals concerned. 

Guernsey's first ever island-wide election saw a record-breaking turnout of 80%.

The two politicians leading the island's response to the pandemic - former Chief Minister Gavin St. Pier and former Health President Heidi Soulsby - topped the polls.

Follow Bailiwick Express Guernsey for updates...