Polls open in Guernsey's first island wide by-election

Wednesday, 29 April 2026 08:45

Eleven candidates are standing for the single vacant seat in the Assembly.

The 38th seat was left vacant after former deputy Jonathan Le Tocq was imprisoned in January this year, although he had not sat in the States since July 2025.

Voting began at 8am today (29 April) and the four polling stations are open until 8pm.

Beau Sejour's Dave Ferguson Hall is the central polling station and there are three satellite stations; at the Vale and Castel Douzaine Rooms and St Martin's Parish Hall.

As it is an island wide by-election, anyone registered on Guernsey's electoral roll can vote in person at any one of these polling stations.

The candidates are; Luke Graham, Rob Harnish, Sam Haskins, Julie-Anne Headington, Ross Le Brun, Carl Meerveld, Tamara Menteshvili, Stephen Rouxel, Nikki Symons, Andy Taylor, Jonathan Wilson.

Read: Guernsey by-election countdown

The weather forecast for the day is generally dry and sunny, which could enhance voter turnout.

Guernsey normally experiences a high turnout for general elections, 72% in 2025, but voter appetite for an island wide by election has yet to be tested.

The vote count this evening will take place at Beau Sejour's Sir John Loveridge Hall, as it did for the last two island wide elections.

It is impossible to be precise about a time for the announcement of the ballot, but we are told it could be from 11pm into the early hours.

The result will be announced by the Returning Officer Keith Bell in the Centre's Concourse and will be online, on the dedicated States by election web page byelection2026.gg shortly afterwards.