Jersey voters fail to turnout as many distrust political system

A lack of trust in the political system is one of many reasons why people do not vote in Jersey. Credit: ITV Channel

Turnout at Jersey's 2022 election was just 41.7% - the third lowest figure in the last 30 years.

The island also comes bottom of civic engagement when compared to the 38 OECD countries, a group that works to set international standards and drive economic policy.

Research by Policy Centre Jersey shows that 28% of those who did not vote in last year's election, did so because they did not trust the island's political system.

Other reasons eligible islanders gave for not voting included not having an interest in the election (24%), not knowing enough about the candidates (22%) and thinking their vote would not make a difference (30%).

In order to boost Jersey's voter turnout, the think tank group suggest accessibility of voting should be improved.

They suggest an increase of polling stations, better sharing of information between election officials, simplify the voter registration form and create more 'super polling' stations, like those seen in Guernsey.

Currently, Guernsey's voter turnout excels against their island rivals, with 79.7 % of eligible residents voting in the Bailiwick's last election.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…