The States of Alderney is to launch a campaign to encourage Islanders to vote in November and hopes to enthuse a new crop of candidates to stand for office.
Polling day for Alderney’s general election, confirmed by the full States of Alderney at its July 10th meeting, is November 16th when five of the 10 States of Alderney Member seats will be contested.
However, at the same States meeting a proposal to change the law to enable a fixed-term, four-year election cycle was narrowly defeated despite 2022 public consultation showing 76% of Islanders were in favour of streamlining the way Alderney is governed. The proposal had been brought to the States after the Policy & Finance Committee voted 8-2 in favour, but following a debate two Members changed their minds and voted against.
With the rules stating there must be at least seven Members in favour of the change, and one Member absent, the billet motion was not carried despite the vote being 5-4 in favour.
It means elections will continue to be held every two years for half of the 10 seats on the States.
Now Alderney’s Returning Officer, Chief Clerk Theo Leijser, has built a team to run an intense campaign to head off perceived public apathy about the States and ignite a fresh appetite for progressive governance.
After six months in the role, Mr Leijser sees the autumn election as a crossroads for Alderney, not least because not enough candidates came forward for a contested election in 2022: “We are determined to turn this around,” he said. “Public confidence in the States seems to be at an all-time low but if the Island is to thrive we need a dynamic assembly with vision and energy.
“I have no doubt there are people living here who have much to offer, and many who have despaired in the past but who could make change happen. We hope a good number of candidates come forward for the election in a sense of engagement and collective responsibility.”
A campaign to be launched in the next few weeks will include:
- A dedicated website, emphasising ‘Your Vote, Your Choice’ and ‘Make A Difference’, will explain election details for voters and prospective candidates together with the function of hustings, what happens on election day, how ballot papers are counted, and the term of office and duties of a States Member.
- Reminders via the media, door-to-door visits and leaflet drop to make sure local people are on the Electoral Roll and why their vote is essential in a democratic society.
- Opportunities for prospective candidates to talk to current States Members and the Chief Clerk about what’s involved.
- A media campaign involving local press, radio stations and social media.
The election cycle reform is now shelved for consideration by the new 2025 States while other imaginative proposals by the Good Governance Group, such as limiting the number of Members on each committee to five and forming a new Scrutiny Committee, may also be put on hold until next year.
