An election is not only about who wins – it is about whose lives are considered important enough to feature in the debate - Jersey Evening Post
by Voices · Jersey Evening PostPosted inVoices
An election is not only about who wins – it is about whose lives are considered important enough to feature in the debate
by Voices 18 May 202618 May 2026
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By Dr Carmel Corrigan
BY the time Islanders go to the polls on 7 June, Jersey will have heard many arguments about tax, housing, health, the economy, the cost of living and the future shape of our public services. Each and all of these topics matter. But from my perspective as children’s commissioner, there is one fundamental question that should sit beneath them all: what kind of Jersey are we building for children and young people?
I do not just mean the 16- and 17-year-olds who are old enough to vote – I am talking about all children: the baby whose parents are struggling with rent; the child waiting too long for support; the teenager trying to learn in a system that does not quite fit them; the young person navigating an online world that adults are still trying to understand.
Jersey has a progressive story to tell. We have votes at 16. We have mandatory child rights impact assessments. We have a growing culture of participation, most recently with Vote.je engaging young Islanders in the election process. These are not small things.
But, and you knew there would be a “but” coming, structures are only as good as the trust people have in them.
The think tank Policy Centre Jersey reported earlier this year that only 17% of Islanders under 34 voted in the last election. Meanwhile, 92 candidates are standing in the 2026 election, from whom Islanders will elect 49 States Members. That is a lot of people asking for trust. The question is whether young Islanders feel that trust has been earned.
It is tempting to describe low turnout as apathy. I am not sure that is always fair.
Sometimes what looks like apathy is disappointment. Sometimes it is frustration.
Sometimes it is a young person saying, in the only way available to them, “I do not think this system is listening to me.”
So, for candidates, the challenge is not simply to persuade young people to vote – and not only in the 2026 election – but to make politics visible, understandable and relevant to children’s and young people’s lives.
That means going where children and young people are, not expecting them to come to you. It means speaking plainly about what you believe, what you can change, and what you cannot. It means answering their questions directly, even when the questions are uncomfortable. It means explaining what happened afterwards: what changed because they spoke, what did not change, and why.
In children’s rights terms, this is Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in action: children have the right to express their views on matters affecting them, and for those views to be given due weight. That does not mean children get to make every decision, but it means adults do not get to make decisions about them as if they are invisible.
And invisibility is the real risk in this and every future election.
Candidates should be talking honestly about the economic conditions in which many children live. We often tend to use soft or euphemistic language in Jersey: the cost of living, low income, living standards, housing pressure. And yet, internationally, many of these terms are recognised as indicators of something much more straightforward: child poverty. When a child grows up in a household under intense financial strain, every part of their life is affected: food, privacy, sleep, education, transport, play, friendships, mental health and dignity. Poverty is not a side issue. It cuts across almost every right a child has.
Candidates should also be talking about education in strategic terms and, more specifically, about special educational needs and inclusion. A rights-based education system is genuinely inclusive, where children with additional needs are not treated as an administrative difficulty but as children with an equal right to learn, belong and thrive.
They should be talking, too, about mental health and neurodiversity. A year is a very long time in a child’s life, and waiting too long for assessment or support is not just inconvenient; it can shape a child’s confidence, family life, schooling and sense of self. A child’s development should not have to wait for the system to catch up.
They should be talking about youth justice as well. A child-first approach is not about excusing harmful behaviour. It is about recognising that criminalising children too early deepens rather than reduces harm. The question should always be: what response is most likely to keep the child, and the wider community, safer in the long term?
And lastly, they should be talking about online safety. The online world is now part of childhood. The question is not whether children should be there; it is whether adults, institutions and platforms are doing enough to make that environment safe, fair and navigable. Protection matters, but so do children’s rights to information, education, expression and participation, and their views have been largely unheard in this area.
So, what practical steps can candidates take right now? They can ensure their manifestos are readable and relevant to every 16-year-old. They can hold events at times and in places young people can realistically attend, and use social media to explain and engage, not just advertise. They can speak to schools, youth groups, care-experienced young people, young carers, disabled young people and those who may never imagine that politics is for them. Asking young people what they think should not be a campaign photo opportunity.
Instead, it is a valuable opportunity to listen and, most importantly, to return with answers.
An election is not only about who wins. It is about whose lives are considered important enough to feature in the debate. My hope for this election is that children and young people are not treated as future adults, sentimental afterthoughts or occasional campaign props, but as people with rights here and now.
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