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1.2 Getting Elected

Part One – Standing for Election
(Section 2: Getting Elected)

Go back to Getting into Guernsey Politics
Go back to Section 1.1 – Making the Decision

Who should I ask to nominate me?
Do I need to sign or swear anything?
What should I have ready on day one?

When should I start preparing?
What do I need to know about Election spending?
What are the rules for what I can and can’t do?
What are the consequences of getting it wrong?

Should I join a political party?
If I’m a party member, how might that affect my campaign?

How should I reach voters?
What should I put in my manifesto?
Do I have to have an opinion on every big political issue?
What if there’s just one main thing I care about?
What if my opinions are controversial?
How do I set realistic expectations?
How much do I need to know about what past States have done?
How do I make my manifesto accessible to everyone?
How do I write something that people will read?

What other campaign materials might I need?

How important will social media be at this election?
Is a website useful?
Do I need a dedicated email address?
How much time will online campaigning take?
Do I need to worry about data protection?

Will I have a chance to meet voters face-to-face?
How do I know who is on the Electoral Roll?
Should I knock on people’s doors?
Should I try to walk the whole island?
How do I stay safe?
Will there be hustings?
What are people going to ask me about?
Can I help to solve people’s problems?
How can I prepare for voters’ questions?

Will I be drawn into existing arguments?
How do I deal with vested interests?

How will the media cover the Election?
How should I respond to questions from the media?
Should I be issuing my own media releases?

Can other people help me with my campaign?
What kind of help am I likely to need?
How should I organise my time during the campaign period?
How do I juggle other work and family responsibilities?
Should I get to know other candidates?
Can we help each other out, even if we’re not in a party?

Go on to Section 1.3: Election Day and Beyond

Guernsey’s iconic women of the future?

Thank you for nominating a young woman or girl for our future iconic Guernsey women campaign to celebrate International Women’s Day!

Nominations close on Sunday 6 March at 17.00.

Please fill in the details below.

miriam-makeba-SA

Miriam Makeba - South Africa

Nominated by: Christine James

Zenzile Miriam Makeba (1932 to 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, United Nations goodwill ambassador, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa. In 2020 she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 women of the century. 

South Africa is ranked 12th in the world for percentage of women in national parliament: 45.8% (source: data.ipu.org) 

Are you from South Africa? Please email hello@womeninpubliclife.gg if there is a social or cultural group for people from South Africa in Guernsey.

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The original image “The Hague Jazz 2008 – Miriam Makeba” by Haags Uitburo is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. 

jacinda-adern-2

Jacinda Ardern - New Zealand

Nominated by: Martin Lock

Jacinda Ardern (born 1980) has served as prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. In 2019, she led the country through the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings, rapidly introducing strict gun laws in response, and throughout 2020 she directed the country’s widely praised response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ardern was the world’s second elected head of government to give birth in office when her daughter was born in 2018. ‘An inspiring Prime Minister who brought a nation together with true leadership, empathy and compassion.’

New Zealand is ranked 4th in the world for percentage of women in national parliament: 48.3% (source: data.ipu.org) 

Other iconic women: Dame Whina Cooper, nominated by Claire Fisher, and Kate Sheppard, nominated by Anna Cooper.

Are you from New Zealand? You may be interested in joining the ANZACs in Guernsey Facebook group

Want to learn more about public office vacancies in Guernsey? 

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