Plans to only hold by-elections when there are three vacant seats in the States have been thrown out.
The new States have dismissed the work of the past States Assembly and Constitution Committee – which had wanted to change the rules around holding by-elections for each vacancy as they occur – by a large majority.
29 voted against the proposed three vacant seats rule with just six voting in favour.
This means the existing rules remain in place – with a by-election held for any vacant seat which may occur during the coming four years – unless the newly convened SACC decide to bring new proposals to the States.
Its President, Deputy Sarah Hansmann Rouxel had argued against the three-vacant seat rule this morning.
“Once we start adjusting the rules of representation based on our convenience, or cost, we open the door to further erosion,” she warned.
“Today three vacancies, tomorrow perhaps we say we don’t hold by-elections at all, or we decide certain communities are represented enough.
“The point is, (rules) grounded in democratic principle must be protected, not manipulated to suit the moment. Representation is not optional. Our duty as deputies is not simply to fill seats, but to defend the integrity of the system we serve.
“We should not amend our constitution simply to accommodate the cost or the complexity of an electoral system we’ve chosen.
“If island wide voting is expensive, then let us make it more efficient, but let us not erode fundamental democratic rights to make it fit our budget. Our institution should set the standard for representation, not bend to fit or suit the system. That is the wrong way around.”
Holding by-elections can be expensive with turnout lower than at general elections in the most recent examples in Guernsey’s history.
There has not yet been a by-election under the island wide voting system, and the last by-election held under the district system was in 2016.
Deputy Dave Jones died while in office, representing voters in the Vale. His seat was filled by Deputy Neil Inder who is now in his third term of office.
The by-election came just six months after the district elections held in April 2016, as Deputy Jones health deteriorated quickly after his re-election to the States.
1,724 people voted in the Vale by-election in 2016, representing a 33.59% turnout in the parish.
There had been 17,343 votes cast by 3,774 people in the Vale at the election in April of that year, representing a 74% turnout.
A year earlier, a by-election was held in St Peter Port North following the death of Deputy Martin Storey.
The BBC reported at the time that the by-election to fill the vacant seat in the district would cost £51,000.
Deputy Storey died in July 2015, with the by-election held in December 2015, before the general election in April 2016.
Rules at the time stated that a seat could not be vacant for more than six months prior to an election being held.
The BBC reported that the estimated cost of running the 2016 election at the time was £250,000.
The proposed three vacant seats by-election rule had been seen by some as a loophole which could have forced a reduction of the size of the States.
There have been attempts in recent months to cut the number of deputies elected in Guernsey from 38 – with a very close vote on reducing that number to 35 in December.
One prospective candidate in the June 2025 election had set out to exploit that loophole by pledging to do nothing if he was elected.
However, David Reed was persuaded against standing for election meaning the loophole was not tested.