RECOMMENDATIONS

  1. LEGAL CODIFICATION
    Greater codification of electoral rules and procedures, either via amending existing election law or via enacting a new omnibus election law, could be considered, in order to ensure that there is certainty and consistency in the law and that it applies equally to all concerned.
  2. ELECTIONS BODY
    A permanent dedicated elections body should be constituted so that institutional knowledge and expertise can be embedded in the Guernsey electoral system. This body could provide continuous electoral oversight, including oversight of candidate and voter registration, political parties and campaign finance.
  3. VOTER REGISTRATION
    Formal processes of voter registration could be introduced as part of an ongoing rolling process of registration. Voter registration could be done as part of any annual engagement that residents have with the state, such as filing tax returns.
  4. RIGHT TO STAND
    Consider removing the provision in Article 8 of the Reform (Guernsey) Law, 1948, which disqualifies voters who have been sentenced to imprisonment for a period of six months or more, from eligibility to become a People’s Deputy.
  5. OVERSIGHT OF POLITICAL PARTIES
    Political parties should be subject to oversight, and their finances should be evaluated on an annual basis. Individual candidates’ pre-election fundraising and expenditure should also be assessed and recorded. Reporting should not be onerous but simply conducted by the production of evidence.
  6. CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURE
    Boundaries of pre-election and annual expenditure should be clearly defined. The limitations of expenditure outside the formal period of nominated candidature could be within similar boundaries to those defined for the election period, except with no additional public subsidy.
  7. POLLING STATION STAFF
    The recruitment process for polling station staff should be open and publicly advertised, and increased training for polling station staff should be considered.
  8. VOTE COUNT
    The number of ballot papers cast should be verified at the start of the vote count. Adding an additional verification step should also be explored, namely the verification of the total number of votes cast.

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CPA BIMR Election Expert Mission Final Report

  1. COUNTBACK AUDIT PROCESS
    A rigorous countback audit process should be put in place, so that an original ballot paper that is ‘transposed’ can be checked against the newly transposed ballot paper that is used to replace it.
  2. PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN
    Extension of Articles 4 and 7 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to Guernsey should be pursued without delay. This will entail enactment of legislation to enable fulfilment of convention obligations in advance of the extension.
  3. PARTICIPATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
    Extension of Articles 21 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities should be pursued without delay. This will entail enactment of equality legislation to enable fulfilment of convention obligations in advance of the extension.
  4. ELECTORAL JUSTICE
    Consideration should be given to the introduction of a system of complaints and appeals for all stages of the electoral process. Detailed procedures should be set out regarding the authority responsible to receive and adjudicate upon disputes arising in relation to voter registration, candidate nomination, voting and counting and all other aspects of the electoral cycle. Fair procedures must apply to any such regulations, with clear deadlines providing for the submission of complaints, making appeals and delivery of decisions, as well as rules of standing to lodge complaints.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The CPA BIMR Election Expert Mission wishes to express its gratitude to the States of Guernsey, election officials, candidates and to the people ofGuernsey for their cooperation and assistance during the course of the virtual Mission.

For further information about this Mission, please contact cpauk@parliament.uk.

CPA BIMR ELECTION OBSERVATION SERVICES

The first objective of the BIMR Strategy is to strengthen parliaments and the skills of their members. As part of this work, CPA BIMR facilitates election observations when invited to do so.

For more information about these services, please contact the CPA BIMR Secretariat at cpauk@parliament.uk.

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CPA BIMR Secretariat

Westminster Hall | London | United Kingdom | SW1A 0AA T: +44 (0) 20 7219 5373 | E: cpauk@parliament.uk
W: www.uk-cpa.org | Tw: @CPA_BIMR