Isle of Man residents who have not yet completed and returned their electoral registration forms are being reminded they must do so by the deadline of Wednesday 18 March.
 
Anyone who is not on the electoral register will not be eligible to vote in any House of Keys by-elections required in the event of a sitting MHK being elected to fill one of the current vacancies on the Legislative Council.
 
People are also reminded that their credit rating when applying for a mortgage, personal loan, credit card or mobile phone contract, may be affected by not being registered.
 
Registration forms were sent to every local household early in January and a large number have already been returned.
 
In order to maintain the accuracy of the electoral register, names will be removed from the voters list if completed forms are not returned.
 
It was the practice in previous years to leave names on the list if there was no response from a property. However, over time this has made the electoral register increasingly unreliable and inaccurate.
 
Taking action to clean up the register has placed the onus on householders to ensure that voter details are up to date.
 
Further information on the electoral process and registering to vote is available from the Electoral Registration Unit, Crown and Elections, Cabinet Office, Bucks Road, Douglas, IM1 3PN, email voters@gov.im or telephone 685754.