Election Events and Resources

As the Election approaches, a range of events and websites are springing up, designed to help voters get to know candidates better. I’ve been looking for a one-stop-shop list of these resources and events, but haven’t found it yet, so I thought I might as well make it. (If it already exists, please let me know!) On this page, you’ll find information about Hustings and “Meet the Candidate” events, as well as links to websites providing information about candidates.

In order to be included on this list, an event or resource must be independently organised and equally open to all candidates. I will not be adding links to events organised by parties or candidates.

I am adding events and websites as I become aware of them. If I have missed any, please let me know about them.

Calendar of Events

Tue 8 September (evening) – Environment Hustings
Les Cotils
Find out more on Facebook*

Wed 16 September (evening) – Disability Hustings
St Pierre Park
Find out more on Facebook or on the GDA website*

Sun 20 September (daytime) – Official “Meet the Candidates” Event
Beau Sejour
Find out more on Facebook or on the Elections website

Wed 23 September (evening) – Work, Rights & Wellbeing Hustings
Guille Alles Library
Find out more on Facebook

Resources

Official Election Website
For: Candidate manifestos, candidate pages, voters’ questions
Link: https://election2020.gg/

Electoral Support Group
For: Candidates’ questionnaire
Link: https://2020esg.gg/

The Guernsey Daily Podcast
For: Election coverage
Link: https://shows.acast.com/the-guernsey-daily (and Twitter)

Is It True? Guernsey Factchecker
For: Election campaign fact-checking
Link: https://factcheckergsy.wordpress.com/ (and Facebook and Twitter)

Standing Up for Guernsey’s Environment*
For: Candidate’s questionnaire on environmental issues
Link: https://www.standingup.org.gg/

Finally, download and customise your own candidate spreadsheet here – thanks to Paul for this super useful tool for voters!

If I have missed an event or resource, or made an error, please let me know and I will set it straight as soon as possible.

(*For the sake of transparency, these are events I’m involved with as a volunteer.)

Go back to: Getting Into Guernsey Politics

How do I know who is on the Electoral Roll?

Only people who have signed up to the Electoral Roll will be allowed to vote in this Election.

(Voters – even if you have voted in past Elections, you need to sign up again this time! You have until Friday 21 August to do so. You can do so online via the Elections website.)

You only have a limited amount of time to get your message across to people in the month between nominations opening and Election Day, so you will probably want to concentrate your efforts on people who are actually able to vote.

This matters less if the majority of your campaigning happens online. If you’re putting information out in a public forum, it’ll be accessed by people who aren’t voters and people who are, and that’s fine – it doesn’t cost you anything extra in terms of time or effort.

If you are answering emails, I would just take people at face value and assume they are potential voters. You’ll waste more time in a back-and-forth email exchange – “can you tell me if you’re on the Electoral Roll before I answer your questions?” – than if you just get on with it and answer them.

(If it turns out they’re not on the role, just chalk it up as useful practice! Other voters will have the same kind of questions, and you’ll have spent a bit of time knocking your thoughts into shape in order to reply to this person.)

Knowing whether or not someone is on the Electoral Roll matters most if you’re planning on going door-to-door. Canvassing this way can be very time-consuming, so it matters that you focus the limited time you have on households that are actually signed up to vote.

You can do this by requesting a copy of the Electoral Roll when you submit your nomination. There’s more information in the official candidates’ guide. If you do this, you will essentially be receiving a set of 30,000 people’s contact details, and you will be responsible for keeping that safe in accordance with Data Protection requirements. (You mustn’t pass it on to anyone else, you mustn’t use it for anything other than canvassing, and you’re not entitled to keep it after the Election.)

If you are planning to canvass a particular street, you can use the Electoral Roll to check which of the houses on that street are home to a potential voter (or voters). You can then focus your time on knocking on those doors, rather than stopping at every door and just hoping for the best!

Go back to Getting Into Guernsey Politics
Go back to Section 1.2: Getting Elected
Register to Vote