The decision to hold next year’s election on a Sunday is set to cost an extra £130,000 due to the operational pressures a weekend election will create, according to the island’s parish representatives.
The Comité des Connétables has lodged an amendment to the proposed Government Budget seeking an extra £130,000 to ensure the spending plan “adequately provides for the costs which the States Assembly accepted when agreeing to the elections being held on 7 June 2026”.
The amendment reallocates the funding “to allow for additional expenditure” incurred as a result of the elections being held on a Sunday next year.
Politicians voted in April this year to hold the election over the weekend in 2026. At the time, the Privileges and Procedures Committee said that holding the election on a Sunday “will increase the administrative cost of the process”, but argued the “slight increase in cost will be worthwhile, if there is an associated increase in voter turnout”.
The proposed Budget currently allows for payments at the same level as 2022 – £2,500 per station, plus inflation – but “does not cover the additional costs” associated with a Sunday poll, according to the Comité des Connétables.
The amendment sets out the operational pressures a weekend election will create – including staff working “over the full weekend”, increased spending on hospitality because cafés and restaurants “may have limited availability on a Sunday”, and additional costs for hiring or using premises where polling stations are not located in parish halls.
The amendment stresses that there are no staffing implications for either the States or the parishes, noting that the allocation simply ensures funds are available for costs that “have to be met by the States” because of the decision to hold the election on a Sunday.
The Budget is due to be debated next month.