THE £150,000-plus campaign to get more voting in the general election worked. Compared with four years ago, 3,816 more islanders are now on the electoral roll, a rise of 14.3%.

And this year 3,380 more islanders cast a vote, an 18.3% increase on the election in 2000.

Ultimately the turnout, of a larger electorate, was almost 4% up on the 2000 poll.

‘The campaign to get people on the roll and into the polling booths has to be considered a success,’ said former States Procedures and Constitution Committee president Roger Berry.

‘I think the money spent has been well worth it. The individual has the choice not to register or vote, but of course we would like to see more people on the roll and voting and that is what happened.

‘We got more people on the electoral roll and then reinforced the message through cards and advertising. The success of the initiative could be seen through the number of people who voted, brought their voting cards and the interest in the election.’

At the time of the 2000 election, there were 26,333 people registered to vote but by this April that figure was up to 30,149, a rise of 3,380, 14.3%.

Official statistics from the election show that 18,949 people voted compared to the 15,569 in the 2000 election. This was an increase of 3,380, or 18.3%.

The estimated £155,000 spent on the election meant that it cost approximately £46 for every extra voter.

Deputy registrar general of electors David Robilliard was pleased with the campaign.

‘The results are good. I was afraid that despite the large increase in the number of people on the electoral roll, people may not come out to vote. But they did and all the indicators point to success,’ he said.

Even taking into account the fact that in 2000 the number of voters was kept artificially low by an uncontested election in Torteval and Forest, he was still upbeat about the turnout.

Modifying the 2000 election figures, Mr Robilliard said that an estimated 16,484 people would have voted, meaning this year’s election would have still had an additional 2,465 voters, a rise of 13.4%.

‘We will always aim for better figures but we have made a good start. Now we hope to stabilise and not retrench, then improve further in the future.’

This year 62.9% of the electorate turned out to vote compared to 59.1% in 2000.

Deputy Berry said that the increase in turnout was particularly impressive given the expanded electorate.

‘What is very interesting is that the turnout is a lot higher than the last time every parish voted in the last conseillers’ election, when turnout was about 42%.’

Wallace Barnaby creative director Ian Langlois was the man behind the election advertising campaign.

‘I am delighted because the profile of the election really seems to have been raised. Overall many more people seemed to be aware what is going on and the figures seem to bear that out,’ he said.

‘Both the electoral roll and turnout figures are good and the profile of the election looked very positive. There now seems to be a uniformity about the election which seems almost a brand in itself.’