Vote younger, but stand later?

TWO proposals – one to reduce the voting age to 16, the other to increase the age at which a member of the public can stand for office – were hotly debated at this week’s People’s Meeting in Alderney.

‘Ninety-nine per cent of 16-year-olds are not interested in politics and could easily be swayed by their parents,’ commented one member of the floor at the Island Hall. ‘This could mean an extra vote for their mum or dad.’

States chief executive David Jeremiah said: ‘The argument is that if you pay your taxes, then you should have your say in how the place is run.’ He accepted that senior citizens were more likely to take part in an election. ‘The fact is that the participation and sense of duty to the democratic process is much more keenly felt by older people.’

It was pointed out that the States was proposing to encourage younger people to vote, but not allow them to stand for office for a further five years.

The current law permits 18-year-olds to vote and stand for election, but the States will debate whether the age at which someone is allowed to stand should be raised to 21.

Another comment from the floor was that elections had been poorly advertised in the past and that more information on how to register to vote needed to be made available.

She said: ‘When I voted recently, I passed people in the street who said they weren’t voting because they didn’t know how to register.

‘One of them had been on the island for 14 years and did not have a clue what to do.’

Mr Jeremiah said: ‘We did a lot more advertising than some are prepared to acknowledge at the last election. When we realised we hadn’t got as many people as previous elections, we did have quite a blitz. We put up posters and advertised in the Alderney Journal, but somehow people see these things and it doesn’t seem to register that they can get out and vote.’

At its 19 March meeting, the States will debate changing the frequency of elections to four years from two.

A proposal to increase the maximum term of imprisonment that the Alderney Court can impose from six to 12 months will also be on the agenda.