From Iris Fritz.
WEDNESDAY 15 October was the first time I had the opportunity to vote in Jersey since I moved to the Island in 2004, and I was rather surprised by the process.

After the staff at the polling station found my name on the electoral roll, they wrote the reference number that was against my entry into the book for the CET voting paper and gave me the voting paper, and likewise wrote the number in the book which held the Senatorial election paper and gave me that one.

Once I got into the booth I found out that both voting papers had reference numbers of their own; which left me wondering whether the reference number on the voting paper is also in the book, where it would then have my electoral roll number written against it. If that were the case I could have just as well written my name and address on the voting paper and signed it.

Before I fell subject to a big misunderstanding here, I decided to ask one of the staff at the polling station about it. And I was told that yes, the reference number on the voting paper has its equivalent on the slip that is still in the book with my electoral roll number against it. I was told that this is necessary in case of inquiries, but that the books are locked away safely and that people would not have easy access to them.

Firstly: What sort of inquiries? Secondly: This process is not a secret ballot! This process creates the possibility to link each and every vote that has been cast back to the electorate and vice versa. I am pretty much shocked.
I appreciate that the books are stored safely and can’t easily be accessed by anybody, I also appreciate that it would be a pretty tedious exercise to reference the voting papers back to the books and from there to the electoral roll, and that it would hence be fairly unlikely to happen, but the possibility to do so is nevertheless there. And if this possibility is never used, then why have it in the first place?

During the hustings there has been a lot of talk about reforming the structure of government. I think we need a reform of the voting process to make sure that the people of Jersey are given a truly secret ballot, not the ‘to be identified with determination’ ballot we currently have.

And who knows, once the electorate are liberated from the possibility of being ‘found out’, it may even motivate more people to make use of their right to vote.
Newlands,
Mont du Coin,
St Brelade.