Advance Vote

Applying for an Advance Vote

An Advance vote allows you to cast your vote on a day prior to polling day, at a time and venue agreed with the Returning officer for your constituency. You may wish to apply for an advance vote whether you are on or off the island on polling day.

An application form for an advance vote is available from:

  • The returning officer for your constituency
  • Cabinet Office website at www.gov.im/elections
  • Cabinet Office, Third Floor, Government Office, Bucks Road, Douglas, IM1 3PN. 

You must complete and sign the application form, and forward it to the returning officer for your constituency by the following dates: 

  • if the advance voter’s ballot paper is to be marked in the Isle of Man, by Friday 16 September 2016; or,
  • if the advance voter’s ballot paper is to be marked outside the Isle of Man, but within the British Islands, by Monday 12 September 2016. 

How to cast and Advance Vote

If you will be in the Isle of Man you can deliver your ballot paper directly to the returning officer, at a prearranged time and venue, or, in certain circumstances, you can ask the returning officer to make arrangements for your ballot paper to be collected from you. 

  1. If you choose to deliver your ballot paper you must ask for a certifying officer who has the authority to receive your vote.
  2. If you have made arrangements for your ballot paper to be collected, you must ensure the person who has called to collect the ballot is a certifying officer.  

In either case the certifying officer will be the returning officer for your constituency, or a person appointed by him or her to act in this capacity. You should ask the person to show that they have been appointed for this purpose and are allowed to receive your vote.  

You will be required to produce to the certifying officer: 

  1. your ballot paper; and
  2. the declaration of identity and form of instruction.  

The certifying officer may ask you to produce evidence of your identity

If you will be off Island when you mark your ballot paper the arrangement will be as above except that you will take the following to a person who may act as a certifying officer (see ‘Guidance for Voters’ for more detail): 

  1. the ballot paper
  2. the declaration of identity and form of instructions and
  3. satisfactory evidence of identity. 

If the ballot paper has been marked outside the Isle of Man, you must send the envelope to the Returning Officer ensuring it arrives not later than 8pm on polling day, Thursday 22 September 2016.