System ‘needs a shake-up’

Friday 21st October 2005, 12:00AM BST.

A MASSIVE shake-up of the system is the only way to beat voter apathy according to the politician with responsibility for electoral reform.

Just four out of ten of the electorate voted in Wednesday’s Senatorial poll despite a £30,000 States PR campaign to encourage more interest.

Eight thousand more Islanders registered this year than three years ago but only 2,000 more people voted and there are still thousands who did not even bother to register.

Privileges and Procedures Committee president Deputy Roy Le Hérissier said the registration campaign had been a success but that apathy on that scale would only be overcome by radical change and a more user-friendly system.

And that should include one general election.

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