Elections in Jersey

Elections to the States Assembly – Jersey’s elected parliament – are held every four years. These elections are open to registered voters to select individuals to represent them as States Members in the States Assembly where Jersey’s laws and policies are debated and decided.

There are 49 States Members – 12 Constables and 37 Deputies. All 49 Members are elected on the same day. Voters choose their preferred candidate for Constable of their Parish and the individuals they want to represent them as Deputies of their constituency.

Existing States Members can seek re-election, and new candidates are encouraged to come forward and stand for election too.

Voting is conducted primarily in person at polling stations across the Island – often located in Parish Halls and community centres. Postal voting and early ‘pre-poll’ voting are also available options. Voters can cast as many votes as the number of seats available in their Parish and Constituency. Once the polling stations are closed the votes are counted and the results are announced. The candidates with the most votes are elected.

The newly-elected Constables and Deputies are ‘sworn-in’ to their new roles around a week after the election and the new States Assembly meets for the first time to decide which States Member will become Jersey’s new Chief Minister. See the States Assembly website for more on how this works.

The last election was in June 2022 and next will be in 2026. The current Assembly will decide the exact date of the 2026 election closer to the time.

By-elections

Where there is a vacancy for Deputy or Constable during the four-year term of the Assembly, it may be necessary to hold a by-election. By-elections are usually a one-off event where there is a vacancy to fill and only the registered voters in the Parish or Constituency with the vacancy are eligible to vote. Candidates are invited to stand in the by-election and the person who wins will take on the available role for the remaining time in the States Assembly until the following election.

Vote.je will publish details of candidates and polling dates in the event that there is a by-election.

How to decide who to vote for

Ahead of an election there can be lots of news coverage, social media, and events held for the election campaign. Deciding who wins your votes isn’t always easy. As Jersey’s official guide to elections, Vote.je is your one-stop shop for information about candidates and voting. You’ll find written manifestos and video content to learn more about who your candidates are and what they stand for.

The Vote.je resources aren’t just online. You will also find dates of events where you can meet and question the candidates in person, as well as their contact details if you wish to make direct contact with them. During the election campaign, Vote.je sends a printed booklet to all residential addresses that explains where, when and how to vote, as well as candidate manifestos. Information is provided in additional languages such as Portuguese, Polish and Romanian.

Independent and party candidates

Election candidates either stand for election as a member of a political party or as an independent candidate. Party candidates need to ensure their election advertising clearly states their party name. On election day, the ballot papers will say which political party a candidate is in so you know exactly what you are voting for.

In 2026, Vote.je will provide details of the political parties that have candidates standing for election.

None of the Above – a.k.a. ‘None of the Candidates’

‘None of the Candidates’ is an option available to voters only when there are either the same number of candidates as vacancies, or fewer candidates than vacancies. Having this option on the ballot paper means that candidates are not automatically elected without opposition. If ‘None of the Candidates’ won, a new nominations process would be triggered and prospective candidates will be invited to stand. It is possible for candidates who lost to ‘None of the Candidates’ in the initial election to stand again.

‘None of the Candidates’ is relatively new, having been introduced for the 2022 elections.

Manifestos

Election candidates create a ‘manifesto’, which is a way for candidates to explain what they intend to do as a States Member if they are successfully elected. Manifestos are typically a short piece of writing, but some candidates publish their own video or visual content to help communicate their manifesto to as many voters as possible.

The manifestos of all official election candidates are made available online on Vote.je. A printed version is distributed to Islanders during the campaign period. Candidates are also invited to record a short video version of their manifesto for publication on the Vote.je website and the Vote.je YouTube channel. Candidates and their supporters are welcome to post these on their own website or social media channels.

As a voter, you can use the manifesto as a way to decide which candidate is the best option for your constituency or Parish. Voters often refer back to candidates’ manifestos as a way to measure how well they are performing against what they said they would do once they have been elected.

Hustings

Hustings are public meetings where election candidates can be asked questions by voters. Hustings are usually organised by the candidates in a specific constituency or Parish and held at venues like Parish Halls and community centres. Sometimes groups or organisations who are keen to encourage political engagement and voter turnout in the community invite candidates to their own hustings events.

The traditional format for hustings is that each candidate makes a speech for a set amount of time – often just a few minutes. Candidates draw lots to decide who goes first. Following the speeches, a host or moderator will invite questions from the audience in the room. Candidates take it in turn to be the first to answer each question and have a pre-agreed time limit to give their answer.

Hustings can be a helpful way for voters to see how election candidates perform under pressure. Voters can find out how much their candidates know about particular topics and learn more about how candidates would tackle challenges or difficult issues.

Ahead of elections, Vote.je advertises the dates, times and locations of hustings. Candidate-organised hustings are usually filmed and made available on the Vote.je YouTube channel for playback.

Campaign advertising – posters, leaflets and more

During the election campaign, Islanders can expect to see candidates’ posters and banners appearing in public locations. Candidate and political parties also tend to post leaflets or flyers through letterboxes to ask for support and votes on election day. You may also be ‘door-stepped’ by candidates at your home address. This is a traditional pre-election activity where candidates knock on doors around their constituency or Parish in order to speak with voters to find out about the issues and concerns in the local area and to see if you are interested in voting for them on election day.