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Politicians have voted against a proposition to extend the right to stand for election to the States Assembly to non-British citizens – for the fourth time.
States Members today voted to reject Deputy Monty Tadier’s proposition with 14 votes for, 31 votes against, and one abstention.
This is the fourth time Deputy Tadier's proposal to allow non-British people living in Jersey to stand to become an elected representative has been defeated.
A person does not have a choice about where they are born, but they can choose
— Deputy Montfort Tadier (@DeputyTadier) September 27, 2024
where they live.
I have lodged a proposal to give more people the right to stand for election. You can read it here https://t.co/Qwo3Tg4mQU #JerseyCI @BBCJersey @ITVChannelTV @Channel103 @JEPnews
Under current laws, being a British citizen is one of the criteria for standing as a Constable or a Deputy in Jersey.
Deputy Tadier had called for this requirement to be removed in time for the 2026 elections.
In a report accompanying his proposition, he explained: "Most right-thinking people will probably tell you that they don’t place so much importance on characteristics such as race, nationality, sexual orientation, age or gender; when it comes to someone’s potential to do a job, it is what skills, experience and knowledge they have to offer that counts.
"This should also be the case for political office."
Pictured: The proposition was brought back to the States Assembly for a fourth time.
He added: "When it comes to entering the political arena, the primary concern of a candidate should be if they have enough of these skills to offer in public service, not whether they have been able to pass a nationality test."
Deputy Tadier also pointed to the wider struggle for equality, noting that 100 years have passed since Jersey women were first permitted to stand for election to the Assembly.
"It felt appropriate that a reflection the parallels with the women’s equality movement has with the subject of this proposition," he said.
"We are now 100 years on, and it is Jersey’s women in our community who are legally prevented from standing vote, but our non-British residents."
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