Staggered Senatorial Elections: Election Spending Limits

If Senator and Deputy elections are staggered, and candidates are allowed to contest both, they could potentially benefit from two separate spending limits, effectively doubling their exposure compared to candidates who only stand for Deputy.

How This Creates an Uneven Playing Field

Dual campaign budgets: A candidate who runs for Senator and then Deputy could legally spend up to the maximum allowed in each race, even if the second campaign reuses materials, networks, or momentum from the first.

Extended visibility window: Their campaign presence spans two election periods, giving them more time to build recognition and influence.

Resource recycling: Flyers, websites, and social media from the Senator campaign could be repurposed, reducing marginal costs while still benefiting from the full Deputy allowance.

This creates a structural advantage that’s not available to Deputy-only candidates, especially newcomers.

A candidate standing in both elections could potentially claim the full permitted expenses for each, even if their campaign materials, events, or digital outreach overlap.

Jersey’s Legal Framework

While the Draft Elections (Senators) Amendment Law outlines the timing of staggered elections from 2026 onwards, it doesn’t yet appear to address spending overlaps or cumulative limits. Nor does the Policy.je brief discuss safeguards against tactical dual candidacy.

Reform Options to Address This

Here are a few targeted reforms Jersey could consider:

1. Unified Spending Cap Across Both Elections

Candidates who contest both races would have a single cumulative limit, preventing double-dipping.
This could be scaled to reflect the higher cost of island-wide campaigning, but still capped.

2. Mandatory Disclosure of Reused Resources

Require candidates to declare any reused materials or services from the first campaign.

These would count toward the second campaign’s spending limit.

In essence, staggered elections without spending safeguards risk turning the Senatorial race into a profile-raising prelude, subsidized by public rules. That’s not just a technical loophole—it’s a distortion of democratic equity.