Thursday 20 November 2014

District No.1 Election St Helier – Royal Court electoral challenge

Here is the press release issued in the respect of the electoral challenge to the election in District No.1 St Helier on 15th October.
 

"Following the Judgment of the Royal Court today to reject an application by myself and Mr Gino Risoli to challenge the result of the election in District No1. St Helier on 15th October 2014, it is hoped that the mistakes made in the conduct of the election will be lessons learnt for candidates and Parish electoral administrators.

Election results are more than just private disputes, they are of significant public importance. It has rightly been stated that “the right to vote would be merely abstract if the right to sue to enforce it was not guaranteed in law”.

The mistakes made in the conduct of the election in District No.1 St Helier should be a reminder, to candidates and those who administer elections, of the need for rigor, not only in the nomination process but also throughout the election.

The responsibility to present a valid nomination paper rests entirely on the prospective candidate. In addition, it is of concern that a candidate’s negligent mistake in completing and presenting a nomination form was not picked up during the process of advance checking and final acceptance, by those with responsibility for electoral procedures in the Parish of St Helier.

The following matters of importance flow from the electoral challenge brought to the Royal Court:



1.       Bad practice is identified and rectified;
2.       Good practice is established;
3.       Those responsible are held to account;
4.       Lessons are learnt;
5.       The electoral process is improved for future elections;
6.       Public confidence is maintained in the electoral process.




The election in District No.1 must be seen in the context of Jersey’s first General Election, whereby all three categories of States Members faced election on a single election day. Inevitably, the added complexity presented challenges that might have been better predicted and met. All Parishes had to be prepared for four separate elections; Senators, Constables, Deputies and the Referendum, all on the same day.  In St Helier there were three separate elections ultimately held. 21 candidates presented themselves for 10 Deputy seats."

4 comments:

  1. That's Jersey Justice for you! If you and Scott Wikendon had your roles reversed and it was you who cheated on the nomination paper I'm sure the court result would have been different and you wouldn't have had Stephen Baker representing you for free!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You made it clear in the last 6 months that you couldn't stand most of the people in the States so why did you even want to join them again anyway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Power does not rest in the Assembly, however it is a useful platform for expressing views and holding government to account.

      I am sure the Right are very pleased to be rid of a vocal critic from their "Best Gentleman's Club in St Helier". There is no tolerance for dissent. Yes Men only please.

      Delete
  3. What are your plans now Nick, I for one, will be sorry if such an intelligent person such as yourself cannot play some sort of role in local politics?

    ReplyDelete