What is the Isle of Man General Election all about?

On Thursday 24 September, the Isle of Man is holding its General Election. Every 5 years, everyone in the Isle of Man who is over the age of 16 and has been resident in the Isle of Man for more than a year has the chance to vote on the people who will represent them in the House of Keys (the Isle of Man’s parliament) for the next five years. 

In a General Election you are voting to elect two people to represent your area (or constituency). These people sit in the House of Keys and are responsible for representing you. We cover what an MHK does in our blog here. But in short, they serve as your voice in parliament, they debate,  vote on laws and are there to help you with issues you might be facing. 

Once the election takes place, the elected members (MHKs) will get together to appoint the new Chief Minister (effectively our Prime Minister) and the new government (Ministers) and they will also develop a plan for the next five years. 

This is just one in our series of short blogs explaining what the hell is happening on 24 September 2026. You can read the rest of the blogs here. 

How can I get involved?

If you’re planning to vote in the Isle of Man General Election on 24 September - you need to be registered to vote. You can register or find out if you are registered here. 

The deadline for registering to vote is 25 August 2026. If you’re not registered by then you won’t be able to vote on election day.