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Voters can "have the best of all worlds" at future elections if plans to bring back Senators are passed, according to the Minister behind the third attempt to resurrect the role this political term.
Treasury Minister Elaine Millar, who is bringing the proposal forward in a private capacity, said she was fulfilling a commitment made at the time of the last election with her bid to restore an island-wide mandate for some of those elected to the States Assembly.
The role of Senator was banished by a States Members' vote in April 2021, with a new make-up for the Assembly – comprising 37 Deputies and 12 Constables – adopted as the format with effect from the following year's general election.
Deputy Millar's proposition, which is set to be debated next month, includes provision for nine Senatorial positions, with a corresponding reduction of nine Deputies: one fewer for each of the nine electoral districts.
Describing the removal of Senators as "highly unpopular" among voters in her district, which covers the parishes of St John, St Lawrence and Trinity, Deputy Millar stated in the report accompanying her proposition that she believed this sentiment was reflected in other parts of the island.
Pictured: Deputy Elaine Millar, who is bringing forward the proposal.
She said: "I understand that, in many respects, the current electoral system is more equitable than its predecessor... by establishing more equally balanced constituencies for Deputies.
"In the process, however, the most equitable office that has ever existed in the history of electoral politics in Jersey – the Senator – was thrown away.
"As a result, many Islanders now feel less enfranchised and feel that their ability to shape the membership of the States Assembly, and by implication the government, has been reduced."
Deputy Millar said she believed it would be "possible for Islanders to have the best of all worlds" by retaining the current "more equal" electoral districts for Deputies, maintaining Constables' places in the Assembly and reinstating the Senators.
"Under this arrangement, the voting system would maintain its existing level of equity," she said. "The overwhelming majority of islanders would still have more votes for Deputy than under the previous system, we would all retain our vote for Constable, and we would all have nine votes for Senators.
"This would create a balanced blend of representation at local, district and Island-wide level – it is a system that served Jersey well for 70 years, and it can do so again for many years in the future."
Deputy Millar said Senators would bring a perspective and overview that she believed was lacking in the current Assembly, highlighting what she believed was a risk of "becoming too parochial, or district-based, and taking our eye off the big strategic issues that we need to address."
There was "ample time" to make the necessary changes prior to the general election scheduled for June 2026, Deputy Millar added, while she also expressed a willingness to delay the debate – currently listed for 4 February – if other Members wished to discuss with voters in their districts.
The make-up of the Assembly has been discussed repeatedly by politicians over the past two decades.
In April 2021, then-Senators Ian Gorst and Lyndon Farnham launched unsuccessful bids to retain the role, with the current format being passed later in the same sitting by 31 votes to 12.
In 2022, Jersey had its first election without Senators following an historic change to the electoral system which resulted in the most diverse Assembly ever seen.
Pictured: Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham and External Relations Minister Ian Gorst, who were both previously Senators, have previously made and supported attempts to reinstate the island-wide mandate.
But the change didn't please all States Members – or members of the public.
Before the election, former Senator Ben Shenton rallied against the removal of his previous post, while, mere hours after being sworn in as a district Deputies, Gorst and Farnham committed to ask the new States Assembly to bring back the island-wide mandate. That vote was lost 24-23 in January 2023.
The most recent attempt came within the same year via a proposition brought by Deputy Moz Scott. It was defeated by 30 votes to 14 in November 2023.
Voting in favour at the time were Deputies Rose Binet, Tom Binet, Lyndon Farnham, Malcolm Ferey, Ian Gorst, Andy Howell, Carolyn Labey, Steve Luce, Helen Miles, Elaine Millar and Moz Scott, in addition to Constables David Johnson, Philip Le Sueur, and Marcus Troy.
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