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Love your parish? Be an active voter.

A voter's guide to the parish elections
Step 1
Parish elections for Douzeniers, Constables and other parish officials happen every year on the first Wednesday of November. That was 1 November this year.

NOTE: Due to adverse weather, St Sampson, St Andrew, Forest, Castel and St Pierre du Bois delayed their election meetings to 22 November. The St Peter Port and St Martin meetings were delayed to 29 November. Vale held their meeting but voted to defer their competitive election until 15 November when they opened a full polling station for all electors. The seats in Torteval and St Saviour were uncontested so all of the nominees were elected.

The list of nominations for each parish was published in the Gazette Officielle in the back pages of the Guernsey Press on 26 October 2023 and have been updated in subsequent weeks to reflect the postponements. Click the button below to find your parish and check out which posts are up for election and who is standing for them.
Step 2
Watch the videos on this page. They will give you an idea of what a Douzenier does so you know what you are voting for. Then click on the button below to read more detail about parish roles.
Step 3
Go to your Parish Meeting - the notices in Step 1 will tell you the time and location.

Anyone can go to a parish meeting but only those on the electoral roll can vote in the elections.

If there are the same number of candidates as the number of seats, there will be speeches but an election won't be needed and the candidates will be appointed to the roles they have stood for there and then.

If there are MORE candidates than the number of seats there will EITHER be an election as part of the parish meeting (see Step 4) OR the meeting could decide to defer the election for two weeks (see Step 5).
Step 4
If there is an election at the parish meeting:

Either the candidates, or the people proposing them, will speak briefly about why they should be elected*.

The vote at the parish meeting is by secret ballot. You will be given a voting slip if you are on the electoral roll.

The vote will be counted and announced on the night.

*Different parishes have their own ways of running their parish meetings. If you want to know the format in advance, contact your parish clerk.
Step 5
If there is a 'deferred' election:

If seven or more of the electors at the Parish Meeting raise their hands in favour, the election will be deferred for two weeks. Delaying the election means that a polling station(s) are set up and anyone in the parish who is on the electoral roll can vote, not just those at the meeting.

A new notice will appear in the Gazette Officielle listing the candidates, the location of the polling station(s) and the opening hours.

Candidates can campaign for votes just like a general election.

Voting has to be in person, there's no postal voting in parish elections.

The vote will be counted after the polls have closed and announced later that evening.
Step 6
Consider standing yourself next time.

If you think you might want to stand for the Douzaine yourself at some point in the future, why not dip your toe in the water now? Call your Constables Office or Douzaine Room and ask if there are any projects that need volunteers.

And let Women in Public Life know! We're keen to support women who are thinking of standing for all forms of public office.
Step 7
Sign up for our Women in Public Life newsletter so you can keep up to date with public office vacancies. If you are into social media, join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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.

Want to learn more about public office vacancies in Guernsey? 

Sign up to our newsletter 

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? 

Sign up to our newsletter