Making Manx elections better

Voting is great. We know that we might sound lame for saying it but we’re big fans of the democratic process (what do you expect we’re part of an organisation all about constitutional reform).

However, the Isle of Man has, in our opinion, a few issues with its elections. Turnout has consistently fallen at general elections and remained low at by-elections, there have been problems with proxy and advance voting in the past, local authorities have struggled to get candidates to stand and fundamentally our electoral system leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to translating votes into political action.

How our elections work may seem like pretty dry stuff but we think that getting them right and empowering more people to vote is important if we want to get representatives and policies which reflect the desires of the people of the Isle of Man.

As part of a suite of packages from the last Tynwald, there was a commitment to set up an Electoral Commission which would review constituency boundaries and how our elections work. This month they published a consultation looking at constituencies, proxy and postal votes and alternative voting methods, election meetings and improving accessibility.

We have already submitted a response to the consultation and we would encourage you to do the same, which you can do here.

Here’s a summary of what we said:

Size and composition of constituencies:

• We believe that the current system should be changed. Whilst the model used at present ensures parity of representation across the Isle of Man and is a welcome improvement from the previous system, there are a number of issues which have been identified with the current model.

• We believe the Isle of Man should look to reduce the overall number of constituencies whilst increasing the members elected in each (e.g. 6 constituencies of 4) or alternatively adopt an all-island constituency approach.

• Many other similarly sized countries and regions make use of larger or all Island constituencies (often coupled with a proportional election method), including Jersey, Guernsey, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and local authorities in Scotland.

  • Using the 6/4 model constituencies would give some respect historic Manx Sheadings and ensure that local authority areas sit wholly within one constituency.

  • Increasing the number of representatives within each constituency may also increase possible avenues for engagement, particularly if some constituency MHKs are members of the Council of Ministers.

  • Larger constituencies or an all-Island constituency would create a tangible difference from local authority areas making it clear that the roles carried out by each are different.

• We would also recommend that a new proportional electoral system, such as Single Transferrable Vote, be introduced to complement these larger multi-member constituencies and better reflect the preferences of the Manx electorate.

• We believe that the overall population should be used to determine constituency boundaries.

• Given the perceived importance of heritage, where possible the constituencies should be sympathetic to historic factors however this should not be the primary factor in setting boundaries.

• We do not believe that a constituency should be ordinarily permitted to exceed the 15% size variance. However, population change is to be expected. This should be remedied by regular boundary reviews where possible, following the census.

  • This issue would also be solved by the introduction of an all-Island constituency. Regular reviews (every 10 years) should be undertaken to determine if the number of representatives should be increased.

Making it easier to vote:

• Where possible we should seek to increase the ease of electors registering and voting and support the use of online registration and check-in, automatic enrollment in the electoral register, the use of any polling station within a constituency and all-Island polling stations, the extension of polling hours and moving the election day to a Saturday / Sunday or making it a public holiday.

• Many of these practices have been implemented in other countries in order to increase voter turnout and registration.

  • These steps alone may not improve turnout, removing barriers and increasing accessibility ensures that potential voters are given the best possible chance to vote.

• We strongly support the suggestion that voting should be moved to a weekend or should be made a public holiday as is the case in many countries around the world including Portugal, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Finland, France and Malta.

  • Polling from the UK found that 54% of the British public would support making an election day a bank holiday in order to encourage more people to vote and that 70% of 18-to-24-year-olds say they would support making an election day bank holiday.

  • We also believe that legally mandated time off should be given to electors in order to vote. For those on shift work who typically have to work weekends and holidays, weekend / bank holiday voting may not improve outcomes alone and legally mandated time off to vote should be provided by employers in order to ensure that those electors can vote in person if they wish.

Online voting:

• We do not believe that online voting is currently suitable as an option for national elections in the Isle of Man.

Pre-Election Meetings:

• We would recommend that the pre-election meetings become a regular part of the election process and where possible allow members of the public to participate online.

General Comments:

• Cabinet Office effectively delivers elections with limited resources and should be praised.

• We also believe that in line with elections in the UK and other countries, there must be additional promotion of the election ahead of polling day through adverts, posters, in-person advocacy and social media campaigns.

• We believe the Electoral Commission should be appropriately resourced and staffed in order to carry out this work.

You can fill in the consultation here.