The low turnout at the by-election will feed into a wider discussion on the future of island wide voting.

Amid growing concerns over the viability of the system, the President of the political committee with responsibility for our democratic system said this week’s turnout and “island-wide voting more generally” are being looked at.

Two fully island wide votes have been held (in 2020 and 2025) since the system was approved in a referendum in 2018, with the first by-election under the current electoral system being held this week.

Turnout was 17.23%, with the poll topper winning a tenth of the votes received last June by the disgraced individual who is now in prison after being caught committing a series of depraved crimes, that shocked the island and sparked the by-election.

Guernsey’s newest Deputy, Ross Le Brun, told Express that the numbers don’t matter as he legally has a mandate to represent the public which he is looking forward to doing.

Mr Le Brun had stood for election three times previously, and now says he just wants to get on with bringing his ideas to the States.

Pictured: Deputy-elect Ross Le Brun (Paul Chambers).

4,673 votes were cast on Wednesday with Deputy-elect Le Brun receiving 953.

There were 27,520 people on the electoral roll for this by-election meaning the turnout was just 17.32%, compared to a 72% turnout last summer at the second fully island wide general election.

As well as the 4,673 people who did vote this week some also turned out to protest against the by-election itself or the 11 candidates with six leaving their papers blank and 110 spoiling their papers.

The total number of votes cast on Wednesday were also fewer than the number of people who voted for the 38th placed Deputy last June.

She is now the President of the States Assembly and Constitution Committee which has political responsibility for elections.

Pictured: Deputy Hansmann Rouxel beat Peter Ferbrache to the last seat in the States last summer.

Deputy Sarah Hansmann Rouxel told Express that the by-election results will be considered alongside the results of a recent survey on island wide voting.

“Naturally, the Committee would want to see a strong turnout, but choosing not to exercise your right to vote is also part of living in a democracy,” she said.

“SACC will be reviewing the outcome of the recent survey on the electoral system at its next meeting. The by-election turnout, and island-wide voting more generally, will form part of that wider discussion and any future consideration of electoral arrangements should be looked at carefully and in the round.”

Pictured: Deputy-elect Le Brun will be sworn in to join the States in May and a new photo of the assembly will be taken.

The by-election might not have taken place at all, however, if SACC had not closed a loophole almost immediately after being elected last summer.

The previous States had agreed in March last year that a by-election would only be held if there were a minimum of three vacancies to fill.

SACC took a motion to the States last July to change that back to just one vacancy.

Just days later a then-States Member was arrested and is now serving a nine year prison sentence, leading to this week’s by-election.

That person had voted in favour of there being three vacancies before a by-election would be held, but then voted against the motion when it was taken back to the States last July to be confirmed.