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Aspiring Deputies and political parties will be allowed to spend a maximum of £9,000 ahead of next year's election, and electronic voting will be used to help make polling day more efficient as part of plans for the first Island Wide poll next year.
The States Assembly & Constitution Committee has released its second phase of plans for the 2020 election for the States to approve.
The new policy letter also wants the States to back the production of a candidate manifesto booklet, arrangements for polling stations and for the budget to 'support the delivery of the election'.
"Building on our first policy letter, the Committee is returning to the States to seek approval of arrangements to support a successful General Election in 2020," Deputy Neil Inder, President of SACC, said.
"In the past, the public has only been able to cast their votes on Election Day, or by postal vote. In 2020, the public will be able to vote on the weekend before Election Day at an advance, centrally located polling station. They will also be able to vote the day before the Election, and on Election Day, at either their parish polling station or a ‘super’ polling station. The opportunity to vote by post still remains and will be heavily promoted in the lead up to the Election.
"The Committee is keen to offer an array of options to the public to assist them in voting in the 2020 General Election in a manner and at a time convenient to them."
@oscarjpearson £9k funding for campaigning! Just who has that type of money? Those who do will probably spend it on newspaper TV and radio ads.
— Barry Brehaut. (@deputybaz) November 12, 2019
I think it's simply a rough figure of how much it would cost to get your manifesto to every address in the island, factored up from your current district to the whole island. Still that's a lot of money to spend with no grant from the States to recoup it.
— Christopher Green (@deputycgreen) November 12, 2019
Deputies have already been sharing thoughts about the high spending cap for this year.
The election innovations being proposed include:
The budget SACC has requested from the States to deliver all of these ideas is higher than that usually spent on an election. The committee wants £550,000 from the 2020 Budget Reserve and £190,000 on standby in case of the need for a manual vote or a recount.
If the plans are given the go-ahead, polling stations will be set up in the following ways:
to set the opening hours of all polling stations (including advance polling stations and the super polling stations) in the island at 08:00 until 20:00
to establish an advance polling station at Beau Sejour Leisure Centre on Saturday 13 June and Sunday 14 June 2020
to establish a super polling station at Beau Sejour Leisure Centre on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 June 2020.
to establish the Parish polling stations on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 June, 2020.
Pictured: Postal voting will also be being used again, following its success in the referendum.
"The Committee appreciates that the introduction of Island-wide voting represents a significant change to the process of General Elections in Guernsey – for the voters, candidates and those who administer the system," Deputy Inder added.
"Its proposals seek to ensure voters are fully informed about the Election and the candidates, that candidates are supported in getting their message out to the voters, that an appropriate administrative framework is in place to support the voting process, and that technology is used to assist in the vote count."
The policy letter will go the States for debate in December.
Pictured top: Deputy Neil Inder.
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