Voter equality reforms thrown out by Tynwald

A report by the Isle of Man Electoral Commission made 13 recommendations

Manx politicians rejected a call to make maintaining equal sizes of House of Keys constituency populations legally binding.

A raft of updates, recommended by the Isle of Man Electoral Commission, would have seen boundary changes to Ayre and Michael, Middle, Garff, Peel and Glenfaba, and Ramsey due population increases.

But despite some concerns about going against the equality of representation principles, Tynwald members voted against a redrawing of the Manx political map on Tuesday.

Set up after the 2021 Isle of Man General Election to review issues including voter accessibility and political boundaries, the commission's report made 13 recommendations.

Much of Tuesday's debate on the document's findings focussed on the independent body's suggestion it should be a legal requirement that the maximum voter population should not be 15% above or below the average voting population of 7,005 people per constituency.

'Vested interests'

Ayre and Michael MHK Tim Johnston described the proposed boundary changes as "flawed" as the "wants, needs and outlooks" of voters in rural and urban areas tended to be different.

Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper said the island's "strong sense of community" should be protected and "we shouldn’t be seeking to legislate away what makes the island unique".

But Douglas East MHK Clare Barber raised concerns about how impartial members could be on the issue as "we all have vested interests".

The purpose of the commission was to "take evidence and manage it in a separate and fair way - if we don't agree we should review the principles by which they assessed", she said.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said members needed to decide if they wanted equality or a "pick and mix" approach.

He warned not making the changes could send out a "confusing message" as it would "call in to question" the current structure of 12 constituencies represented by two MHKs, which was introduced in 2016.

After a series of amendments, the court threw out recommendations for revisions to constituency boundaries, but backed accessibility audits for polling stations, and the continued consideration of the introduction of online voting.

Members also supported voting awareness campaigns for new residents and people with English as a second language, and a move to allow residents to vote at any polling station within their constituency.