FAQs

The Electoral Roll lists the names and addresses of people eligible to vote in an election. It is important that this list is up-to-date and accurate to allow people to vote in the General Election. It assists voter administration in polling stations and helps minimise the risk of electoral fraud by ensuring a person does not vote on more than one occasion.

The Electoral Roll is available to be viewed in hard copy by the public for a period before the General Election, and copies of the Roll are available to candidates standing for election who might use it to get in touch with you. Candidates who have the Roll in any form must comply with all the requirements of The Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2017.

Those who apply online are sent an auto-reply email from [email protected] confirming registration. There is no immediate confirmation for paper registrations but there are other ways to check if you are on the Electoral Roll. We will send out polling cards closer to the election day, which will allow you to check the details you submitted when you registered. If you wish to check your entry, please contact the Election Office.

You can tell all States departments of your new address through the My Details page on gov.gg. Or if you just want to inform the Election Office of your new address, please email [email protected].

No, we will not contact you to say we have received your form, but we will send you a polling card in due course. This will allow you to check the details you have sent us and enable you to contact the Election Office if there are any mistakes.

Under certain circumstances, where a person or a member of their family or property would be at risk of harm or damage if their address becomes public, such as victims of domestic abuse, it may be suitable to omit their details from the publicly available Electoral Roll. Please contact the Election Office on 01481 220130 or email [email protected] to discuss anonymous registration.

It’s best practice to have a new Electoral Roll for each election. Without this, it soon becomes out of date as people’s circumstances change and this can lead to problems and delays on election day if Polling Station Officials need to undertake checks with the Registrar-General of Electors. Therefore, the previous Electoral Roll is no longer valid and we must ask that everyone re-registers.

Anyone who has registered since 1 December 2024 is on the current Electoral Roll and does not need to re-register. If you are unsure, please contact the Election Office.

There is one island-wide electoral district to elect all 38 Deputies. Each voter can cast up to 38 votes at the General Election from the full list of candidates. This electoral system was introduced as a result of the 2018 Referendum on Guernsey’s voting system.

You will have to fill in a small oval shape to indicate your preferences rather than a traditional ‘X,’ as the ballot papers will be read by electronic counting machines. More information on this will be released in due course.

If you are ordinarily resident in Guernsey but will be away for the duration of the election then you can apply for a postal vote. 

You can vote for up to 38 candidates. If you vote for 39 or more candidates your vote will not count and will be classed as a spoilt paper.

Ballot papers must not be removed from the polling station. Opting for a postal vote may be the best option under these circumstances.

If you have already registered but have since decided that you would like to opt for a postal vote, then you can resubmit your details here and select the postal voting option.

Contact the Election Office on 01481 220130 or [email protected] and a member of the team will help you.

If you have lost your postal ballot or it has been damaged and can no longer be used please contact the Election Office.

If you have requested a postal vote and it has not yet been issued you can apply to have your postal vote cancelled at the discretion of the Registrar-General. Please contact the Election Office on 01481 220130 or [email protected] for help.

If you have a complaint about anything to do with the General Election then please contact the Election Office on 01481 220130 or email [email protected].

We will comply with all applicable data protection laws. Electoral Rolls given to candidates for use during the election must be returned to the Election Office after use. To see our Fair Processing Notice click here.

Accessibility has been considered throughout the election organisation process. Working with Third Sector partners and the States Disability Officer, we aim to ensure that information on this website and in documentation is presented in an as accessible way as possible.

Documents and forms in large print format are available on request. We aim to have accessible access to all polling stations.

Any voter can ask for help filling in their ballot paper and our polling station staff will be ready to assist. In addition our outreach team plans to offer pre-polling assistance to any group which requests it.

The next Guernsey General Election will take place on Wednesday 18 June 2025.

Eligibility to hold the office of People's Deputy is set out under Article 8 of The Reform (Guernsey) Law, 1948 (as amended).

To be able to stand as a candidate at the 2025 Election, you must:

• • be 18 years or over;
  • be registered on the Electoral Roll;
  • be ordinarily resident in Guernsey on the date of nomination as a candidate;
  • have been ordinarily resident in Guernsey for two years immediately before the date of nomination, or for five years in total at any time before the date of nomination;
  • in the last five years have not been sentenced by a court in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man to a period of imprisonment of one year or more, being detained whilst serving said sentence or whilst unlawfully at large.

Yes. To be able to stand as a candidate at the 2025 General Election, you must be registered on the Electoral Roll.

A person is “ordinarily resident” in Guernsey during any period if throughout that period they were living lawfully in, and had their home in, Guernsey; and for these purposes a person may be ordinarily resident in Guernsey if they have no fixed or permanent address.

Yes, but if you are successful in the 2025 Election, before taking the oath of office and oath of allegiance which every Member of the States of Deliberation is required to take before the Royal Court, you must cease to be a States’ employee or public officer. A States employee means a person employed by the States of Guernsey – whether on a full-time or part-time basis – in such circumstances that the States of Guernsey has the right to require that the employee shall devote the whole of their services to such employment during all hours of work normally applicable.

The workload of a Deputy will vary depending on the number of Committee memberships held, but for many Deputies, the role involves a very significant time commitment.  In addition to Committee meetings and States Meetings, Deputies will be expected to regularly attend briefings and events on a wide range of topics.  There is also a significant amount of reading and research involved.  Deputies will also be expected to commit time to media engagements and to engaging directly with constituents.

Deputies may have other jobs and business interests alongside their role in the States, but it is important to be aware that it could be very challenging to meet the expectations of a traditional full-time ‘9 to 5’ job while also meeting the commitments of a Deputy.

Guernsey Deputies are expected to uphold high standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct while serving in their respective departments, prioritising the public's welfare and interests.

Deputies must also adhere to a Code of Conduct

The Pan-Island Commissioner for Standards is responsible for considering complaints about the conduct of States Members and Ministers in Jersey and States Members in Guernsey in relation to their respective Codes of Conduct. 

Guernsey Deputies are encouraged to engage with the public through various means like meetings, consultations, and public forums, but specific requirements may vary.

An amendment to any proposition put to the States. Any States Member can propose to change or add new proposals to a Policy Letter that is being debated, and this is done by way of laying an amendment. Two States' Members must both agree to lay an amendment, one as the ‘proposer’ and the other as the ‘seconder’.

The Bailiff is the island’s Chief Judge, who presides over meetings of the States of Deliberation and the States of Election, when doing so they are known as the Presiding Officer. They also represent Guernsey on and off Island in non-political matters.

This is the means of giving notice to States Members that a meeting of the States of Deliberation or States of Election is taking place. It contains all the Policy Letters and Propositions designed to enable the States to make Resolutions.

A debate is held when the States need to decide on a matter. Usually, some members will want one thing and another group will want another. At the end of a debate, members usually vote on what to do.

The Deputy Bailiff presides over meetings of the States of Deliberation when the Bailiff is unavailable.

The official report of what is said in every States’ Meeting.

Legislation is another word for laws. Some, but not all, States decisions result in a change in law or the introduction of a new law. Often the States will first make a decision on a policy, which will result in Law Officers drafting new legislation, which will then return to the States' Assembly again for further approval. 

This is a special kind of law. The States of Deliberation comes up with the idea for the law, but this time, the Privy Council does not need to approve it. However, these kinds of laws cannot bring in new taxes or change laws which are already in place.

A report brought by a Committee asking the States to provide them with direction or a decision on proposals.

This is an organised group of people with the same ideas or who have the same political positions. They work together to get elected so that their party’s plans are more likely to be implemented. It is not necessary to be a member of a political party to stand for election.

A question that a Committee puts to the States within a Policy Letter.

While most proposals are put to the States of Deliberation for debate through the States’ Committees, it is possible for any group of seven Deputies to put proposals forward. They can do this by preparing a requête (a kind of report that is very similar to a Private Member's Bill in the UK).

The formal decisions made by the States.

This is the name of Guernsey’s Parliament. It is made up of the Bailiff, HM Procureur, HM Comptroller, 38 Deputies and 2 Alderney Representatives.

The States of Election chooses new Jurats. It is made up of the Bailiff, HM Procureur, HM Comptroller, the Jurats, the Rectors, the Deputies and representatives of each parish Douzaine.

This is when two Deputies ask for a debate to be delayed to a later date.

This is when two Deputies ask for a debate to be delayed until after some action has been taken.