Sark is to become the first of the Channel Islands to allow voters to use a proxy so they can have their say in elections even when they aren’t available on polling day.
Chief Pleas voted in favour of allowing proxy voting at last week’s meeting – agreeing that it will come into use in time for the upcoming election at the end of November.
Each voter and their proxy will have to be on Sark’s Electoral Register with each voter only able to appoint one proxy under the new rules. Each person may act as proxy for only one voter in turn.
The rules have been drafted to prevent any duplicate votes with each voter and their proxy having to register in writing with the Returning Officer ahead of each election.
When voting, the proxy will have to hand in the registration form at the polling station before receiving the voter’s ballot paper.
Conseiller Natalie Tighe, Deputy Chair of the Policy & Finance Committee, welcomed the move saying it will improve the island’s electoral processes.
“Chief Pleas has removed a real and unnecessary barrier to democratic participation,” she said.
None of the other Channel Islands allow proxy voting, but voters in Guernsey and Jersey are both able to use postal votes whether they are off- or on-island at the time of an election.
