Draft Elections (Senators) (Jersey) Amendment Law 202- (P.56/2025): amendment

STATES OF JERSEY

DRAFT ELECTIONS (SENATORS) (JERSEY) AMENDMENT LAW 202- (P.56/2025): AMENDMENT

Lodged au Greffe on 20th August 2025 by the Connétable of St. Helier

Earliest date for debate: 9th September 2025

STATES GREFFE

2025  P.56/2025 Amd.

DRAFT ELECTIONS (SENATORS) (JERSEY) AMENDMENT LAW 202- (P.56/2025): AMENDMENT

1  PAGE 14, ARTICLE 3 –

In paragraph (a), in the inserted text, for "9 Senators" substitute "7 Senators". 2  PAGE 14, ARTICLE 3 –

In paragraph (b), for "28 Deputies" substitute "30 Deputies".

3  PAGE 15, ARTICLE 5 –

In the inserted Article 3B(2)(b), for "28" substitute "30".

4  PAGE 19, ARTICLE 21 –

In the substituted Schedule 1, in the second column of the table (number of Deputies to be returned) –

1. in the entry for the constituency of St. Helier South , for "3" substitute "4";
2. in the entry for the constituency of St. Helier North , for "3" substitute "4".

CONNÉTABLE OF ST. HELIER

REPORT

The States Assembly has voted to reinstate the position of Senator with effect from the 2026 election. The resolution agreed by the Assembly was that nine Senators would be elected with each constituency for Deputy losing one member. While I supported the reintroduction of Senators at the time of the debate and continue to do so I think that seven Senatorial seats will be sufficient to provide electors across the Island with a good choice of Island-wide representation. At the same time the allocation of two additional Deputy seats to the two constituencies left most underrepresented by the States' decision (as shown highlighted in the tables below), without increasing the size of the States Assembly overall, seems to me to be a significant improvement to the electoral reforms.

Table showing Constituencies for the 2026 election as approved in principle by the States Assembly –

Note: A – sign indicates under-representation and a +sign over-representation.

Table showing Constituencies for the 2026 election as approved in principle by the States Assembly with the addition of one Deputy seat in St Helier North and St Helier South –

Note: A – sign indicates under-representation and a + sign over representation.

I accept that this amendment, if approved, does not tackle the problem of the two three-parish constituencies being over-represented by more than 19% or above, but the only way of addressing that, and of complying fully with the Venice recommendations, would involve complex and controversial changes, such as merging Grouville /St Martin with St Clement, or, at the expense of constituencies crossing parish boundaries, moving some voters between Grouville and St Clement, and within St Helier moving some voters between St Helier North and St Helier Central. With the changes to our system of elections already being eleventh hour, I do not consider such an adjustment to be feasible whereas reducing the number of Senators from nine to seven is a simple step for us to take in order to address the most serious problem of a democratic deficit in St Helier.

For the purposes of these calculations the Constables and Deputies are treated as equivalent in the Assembly, which, of course, they are not, given the difference between the size of individual Parish electorates. Including the Connétable s in these calculations, it could be argued, skews the figures – as, for example, in a constituency with three Connétable s, constituents still only have the ability to vote for and appeal to one Connétable , not the three who are recorded. However, the democratic deficit in St Helier caused by the continued presence of the Connétable s in the States Assembly – the unequal power of the individual when their Connétable votes due to the widely differing numbers of voters in each Parish – can, at least, be mitigated if this amendment is accepted and 2 Deputy seats are restored in the Island's most populous Parish.

Financial and staffing implications

There are no additional financial and/or staffing implications arising from this amendment to the original Proposition.

Children's Rights Impact Assessment

A Children's Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) has been prepared in relation to this proposition and is available to read on the States Assembly website.