Nearly 3,000 early birds flock to ballot box

The ballot boxes have been busy before polling day has even begun – with pre-poll turnout almost doubling compared to the 2022 election.

A total of 2,795 votes were cast at the pre-poll station at St Paul’s Centre between 26 May and 1 June – up from 1,508 four years ago.

However, postal voting fell over the same period, with applications dropping from 2,709 in 2022 to 1,729 this year.

Taken together, the total number of advance votes increased by around 7%, according to election officials.

Are we on course for a better turnout?

Election day is officially this Sunday 7 June – marking the first time Jersey will be holding its election on a Sunday, after politicians opted for the weekend shift in a bid to drive voter turnout.

While it means that the election will cost taxpayers an extra £130,000 due to the operational pressures arising from running it on a weekend, the Privileges and Procedures Committee – the group of politicians responsible for the running of the States – argued the “slight increase in cost will be worthwhile, if there is an associated increase in voter turnout”.

At this stage, it’s hard to say whether we’ll be on course for higher overall turnout, though Judicial Greffier Rebecca Morley-Kirk said officials felt the figures bode well.

“We are really encouraged to see this increase in the number of islanders voting ahead of Election Day and hope the trend continues when it comes to overall turnout this Sunday,” she said.