'If you don't vote you get what you deserve'

Turnout in Guernsey's by-election was the lowest since island-wide voting was introduced six years ago and the lowest of any election since at least the turn of the millennium.

Just 17.3% of the more than 27,570 people registered to vote turned out to the ballot box.

Ross Le Brun won the vacant seat with 953 votes and he is due to be sworn in as a deputy on 11 May.

Corrine Joy, who was among those cast her vote in person at St Martin's Parish Hall, said: "If you don't vote you get what you deserve."

There were 4,643 ballots cast with 110 spoilt and six blank in the by-election, just 17.3% of the registered voters.

In comparison, the General Election in June 2025 saw 19,686 ballots cast, which is 72% voter turnout.

Teacher Sophie Appelqvist, who cast her ballot at Beau Sejour, said she almost did not vote.

"I got involved so last minute, but I do think this by-election is going to be so important," she said.

"There are some really big decisions to be made soon about tax and the way that local people are living and I thought that unless I get involved I can't moan if they don't vote in a way I like.

"I work at a school and it was the students who changed my mind... the girls are very aware of politics and I knew I wouldn't be able to look them in the eye unless I voted."

Emma Joy was on her way to the pub with her husband for his birthday when they walked past a polling station and decided to vote.

The couple had not planned to vote and Joy said she chose her candidate based on who she thought was "less bad than all the others".

"If they get in, then I picked right," she said.

"If I haven't voted, then I can't complain if things aren't going very well in the future."

Belinda Martel cast her vote at the Vale Douzaine Room and said the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) package was the biggest issue for her.

"Totally against it," she said.

"They need to reform the civil service, they need to streamline, they need to become more efficient.

"We need to get rid of all these managers managing managers, managing managers... the thing has exploded beyond what we can afford."

Patrick Miller, who voted at Beau Sejour, said economic growth was his biggest issue.

He said: "There's been a lot of discussion about taxation and I understand that, but I think we think that is the only answer, I think we have to look at economic growth for the island... that is very important."

Additional reporting by Jake Wallace.

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