The States Assembly & Constitution Committee brought the proposals to the Assembly in order to remove obstacles to people standing for Deputy and help the island lead the way with forward-thinking legislation.
Many Deputies agreed that the introduction of proxy voting for parents achieved these aims, however there were significant objections and half a day of debate.
The recorded vote on the proposition and policy letter from the States’ Assembly & Constitution Committee, “Proxy Voting for Parental Absence” is available to view below and online: https://t.co/4xRrJmIb8mpic.twitter.com/I6fMFhpsMB
— States of Guernsey (@Govgg) 17 October 2019
One of the common themes was that the proposal did not apply to Deputies in other situations that prevented them from being in the States Chamber – such as illness or caring for an ill relative.
Deputies including Carl Meerveld and Mark Dorey argued that the Assembly was a debating chamber for a reason, and proxy voting would stop States members from changing their vote based on what they had heard in debate.
Sacc Vice-President Jennifer Merrett replied to that point, saying that a Deputy could contact their proxy any time up until the vote, by text or any other method of instant communication.
Pictured: Having given birth to twins and been sidelined by serious illness during this States term, Deputy Victoria Oliver was able to offer insight into why a proxy for illness would be less advisable than for parenthood.
Deputy Victoria Oliver was hospitalised earlier this term after contracting a rare disease, Addison’s, which sidelined her from States meetings for several months.
While some in the chamber believed Deputies unable to attend a meeting because of illness should be able to have a proxy, she warned against this being the case.
“There is no way I could have made a sane decision, which is why I would commend Sacc for not including it in this amendment.”
The next step for proxy voting is for the legislation to be drawn up by the law officers.