Election review under way, says Returning Officer, as calls for full recount grow

The Returning Officer, Mark Lewin, has said the conduct of September’s general election is being reviewed, while a number of unsuccessful candidates press for ballots in all constituencies to be counted again.

Mr Lewin told Manx.News, the Energy FM news site, that such a review takes place after every general election. He said it looks at the counting process, collects feedback from each Deputy Returning Officer, and asks whether procedures could be made more consistent and whether the law needs further changes.

The calls follow a supervised recount in Onchan, which the court ordered in connection with an election petition brought by Julie Edge. The petition is still before the court. Manx.News reported that the recount produced figures that differed from those declared after the count on 24 September, though the outcome would not have changed.

Simon Williams, an unsuccessful candidate in Rushen, has urged members of the House of Keys to press for every constituency to be recounted, according to Manx.News. The site said Dave Mackey, who contested Douglas East, and James Hampton, a candidate in Glenfaba and Peel, have since added their support.

Michelle Haywood, a former Infrastructure Minister who also stood in Rushen, has said she would back a recount across the island. Isle of Man Today reported that she came fourth with 790 votes. Mr Williams polled 1,040, Mark Kemp 1,120 and Michael Crowe 1,878.

In a Facebook post quoted by the newspaper, Dr Haywood said confidence in the elections had been harmed. She argued that recounting every constituency would be the best way for the government to demonstrate that the results declared on the night were right.

She also raised the question of whether ballot boxes should be secured overnight in future, with counting starting the next day.

Dr Haywood said Mr Williams had missed out on a seat by 80 votes, a gap she described as “smaller than the changes made to the Onchan tally”.

Isle of Man Today also reported that Mr Williams drew attention to a social media post published on 7 September, before polling day, by Mr Kemp, who went on to win a Rushen seat. In it, Mr Kemp voiced concerns about postal ballots and said that, if elected, he would call for an investigation into how the election was run.