A public consultation has opened on proposed changes to the Isle of Man’s election regulations, with government encouraging voters, officials and local bodies to give their views ahead of the 2026 House of Keys General Election.

The proposed changes are intended to update and modernise the rules governing both House of Keys and local authority elections, reflecting measures contained in the Elections (Keys and Local Authorities) (Amendment) Bill 2025, which is currently before Tynwald.

Government says the amendments are designed to ‘modernise and improve transparency, accessibility, and efficiency in both national and local elections.’

The changes would apply to several stages of the election process and are accompanied by a 13-question survey expected to take around 15 minutes to complete.

One of the key proposals is the introduction of published declarations of relevant interests for all candidates standing in both local and national elections.

Under the suggested amendment, information such as ‘business and financial holdings or sponsorships’ would be made available online once the nomination period has closed.

Officials say this is intended to give voters clearer insight into candidates’ backgrounds and potential conflicts of interest.

Another significant change concerns the processing of postal votes.

The government is seeking feedback on allowing deputy returning officers to carry out ‘pre-verification of postal votes’ ahead of polling day.

Ballot papers would remain sealed until the count begins, and candidates’ counting agents would be present throughout.

The intention, according to the consultation document, is to speed up the count on election night and enable faster reporting of results.

For House of Keys elections specifically, the Cabinet Office is also proposing to organise a single pre-election meeting in each constituency.

These meetings would be chaired by an independent person and run according to ‘principles of equality, accessibility, and transparency,’ giving voters a consistent opportunity to hear directly from all candidates.

Government says the measure is aimed at levelling access for electors and ensuring uniformity across all constituencies.

Members of the public can take part in the consultation online or submit responses by email to [email protected].

Paper copies are available on request and can be returned by post to the Crown and Elections Team, Cabinet Office, Government Office on Bucks Road, Douglas.

All submissions will be reviewed before the final version of the regulations is drafted.

The government intends to update both the Elections (Keys) Regulations 2021 and the Elections (Local Authorities) Regulations 2021 at the same time, consolidating them into the new 2026 amendment regulations.

These would be brought before Tynwald in April 2026, provided the Elections Amendment Bill receives Royal Assent by March.

The next House of Keys General Election is scheduled for Thursday, September 24, 2026.

More information is available from the Crown and Elections Team on 685201 or at [email protected]