Sark General Election Records 66% Voter Turnout

The Sark government has released the outcomes of its general election, reporting a 66% voter turnout. The election introduced nine new members to the Chief Pleas, with Conseiller elect Michael Locke securing the most votes, totaling 179. These results were announced before 21:00 GMT on Wednesday. This marked the initial year in Sark where 16-year-olds were eligible to cast their ballots. Locke commented on the “big responsibility” and expressed gratitude to all who participated in the vote. He stated: “There is a big responsibility on our shoulders to try and do the right thing for them.” He continued: “I think it gives the chief pleas a mandate as much as any other conseillers. When we get in there, we are all equal and we have to do our best for the island and that is exactly what I will be doing.” Paul Armorgie, the Returning Officer, expressed his satisfaction with the 66% turnout. Armorgie remarked: “I am absolutely delighted, on what was a pretty poor day weather wise, that so many people turned out to cast their vote. “We only have one polling station on Sark, which was at the island’s hall. We opened it early this year for the first time ever. “We opened it at 08:00 GMT and it remained open for 10 hours to allow the maximum number of people to cast their votes.” He noted spending the majority of the day overseeing the elections and observed only one person aged 16 casting their vote. Armorgie added: “Hopefully, next time we will see even more from that age category now able to vote in Sark.” When questioned about his aspirations for his position, Locke responded: “I think the key issues we have facing us are economy and infrastructure.” The Chief Pleas also indicated that a recount is scheduled for Thursday at 18:00 GMT.