Guernsey’s first traditional hustings in a decade is set for April 22, 7–9pm at Les Beaucamps High School, with all 11 candidates invited and the event livestreamed.
A Guernsey by-election hustings is due to take place on Wednesday, 22 April, giving voters a rare chance to hear directly from the candidates face to face.
The event runs from 7pm to 9pm at Les Beaucamps High School.. For many residents, it will feel like a throwback: it is described as the first traditional hustings of its kind in about a decade, since island-wide voting was introduced.. Unlike tightly structured party meetings, the format is built for live audience engagement, with questions coming from voters on the night.
Tickets are not mentioned, but entry is based on a first-come, first-served approach.. That detail matters on the day, because hustings-style events can draw interest quickly—especially in the lead-up to an election where people want clarity on what candidates would do locally.. There is also an online option: the Guernsey Press Facebook page will livestream the proceedings, extending access beyond those able to attend in person.
All 11 candidates standing have been invited to answer questions without notice in front of the live audience.. That means candidates will not rely solely on prepared statements; instead, they will need to respond to issues raised by voters themselves.. It’s an approach that can surface differences in priorities fast, particularly when residents ask about practical concerns they expect the new representative to address.
The candidates listed for the by-election are Luke Graham, Rob Harnish, Sam Haskins, Julie-anne Headington (Forward Guernsey), Ross Le Brun, Carl Meerveld, Tamara Mentehshvili, Stephen Rouxel, Nikki Symons, Andrew Taylor, and Jonathan Wilson.
From a voter perspective, the setting and timing are both significant.. A 7–9pm session at a local school is positioned to be convenient, and the school venue can also help keep the atmosphere grounded and familiar.. For those watching online, the livestream may shift how questions are understood and followed, but it still offers a chance to compare responses in real time rather than after-the-fact summaries.
There is also the term length to consider.. The candidate who is elected will serve for the remainder of the political term until the 2029 general election.. That extended runway makes the hustings more than a short campaign stop: voters are effectively selecting a representative for a multi-year period, so questions about longer-term direction—and how candidates will work within the States—are likely to carry extra weight.
Why this matters, politically and practically, is that hustings can quickly translate campaign themes into direct commitments.. In an environment where island-wide voting changes how campaigns reach people, traditional question-and-answer nights can restore the sense of a shared civic moment: one night, one room, and a group of candidates responding to the same set of live prompts from the public.. For undecided voters, that shared comparison may be the most valuable part—watching how different candidates handle pressure, uncertainty, and follow-up questions, rather than only hearing polished messaging.