From Brian Bullock.
BEFORE, after and in between the last several elections it has been pointed out in your columns that there is something very strange – downright wrong even – with the voting system that is used in Jersey. And it is not difficult to understand what is wrong if one looks only cursorily at the results of the count.
Let us not get entwined about the low turnout, whereby more than half the electorate cannot be persuaded to go to the polling stations.
Let us not be concerned that, between them, those that did vote chose not to use more that 30,000 votes. Do not worry that there were 144 spoilt papers, whatever that means. Concentrate only on those people who correctly completed a voting paper and the votes they cast.
There were 24,194 in this category. Of this number nearly 59% voted for Ian le Marquand, so there is no doubt that he was a popular winner. However, the next five successful candidates collected between 42% and 35% of the votes, meaning in simple terms that between 58% and 65% of those who voted did not want them! It cannot be very satisfying for anyone to ‘win’ on those terms, where the considerable majority of the voters rejected them.
This is not to personalise or criticise any of the candidates, successful or not. Nor is it intended to mean that those elected would not have been successful if using an alternative voting system. But it is my strong contention that it is not only important to win, but very clearly to be seen to win, in order to justify a position of such importance as membership of the States Assembly.
Yet once again this has not happened – and the reason is simply that a flawed system is being used. Oh yes, it is simple – but that does not mean that it is either right or good.
There must be one of the States departments that can examine the alternatives and propose a better, fairer, more transparent process that gives the ‘winners’ the satisfaction of knowing they represent a majority of voters. Of course such systems already exist and are widely used – and it really is only a
small step to introduce one. That is a challenge for the new House – but I am not holding my breath!
10 Clos des Genêts,
St Brelade.
