All prisoners based in Jersey could be allowed to vote in future elections, if plans suggested by a panel of politicians responsible for the procedures of the States Assembly are approved.

Currently, inmates serving a prison sentence of more than four years are disqualified from voting in Jersey.

But the Privileges and Procedures Committee wants to offer postal votes to all prisoners based in the island to allow them to vote in the constituency where they lived before being detained.

The Committee said that there are “wider perceived benefits of extending voting rights to all prisoners, including the creation of social ties and a commitment to the common good”.

The panel was responding to a recommendation from contained within the CPA Election Observers Mission (IOM) Report 2022 – published after the last election – which stated that the blanket ban on the right to vote for those serving prison sentences exceeding four years should be removed to allow for “broader electoral participation on an equal basis”.

Pictured: Currently, inmates serving a prison sentence of more than four years are disqualified from voting in Jersey.

The Committee pointed to a 2005 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights which found that the UK’s blanket ban on prisoner voting was “indiscriminate and disproportionate” – and in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Both the UK and Northern Ireland now allow prisoners on remand and awaiting sentencing to vote, Scotland has extended the vote for those serving a sentence of less than 12 months, and Ireland has allowed all prisoners to vote since 2006.

Both Guernsey and the Isle of Man allow all prisoners to vote by post for representatives of the district in which they were resident prior to incarceration.

If approved, the panel’s proposals would also extend the remit of the Jersey Electoral Authority to allow it to accept complaints made by members of the public rather than just candidates, and make it responsible for the organisation of hustings and location of polling stations.

The Committee is also proposing a range of other administrative changes to the island’s electoral law – including changing the definition of a cancelled ballot paper, automatically giving all islanders ballots for all polls taking place, reserving home visits for those who find themselves unable to vote at pre-poll or by post due to unforeseen circumstances, and making the deadline for the return of postal votes several days earlier than election day.

You can read the full proposals here.