​The House of Keys Election Act 1919, amending the House of Keys Election Acts of 1866-1917, introduced universal suffrage to the Isle of Man. The Act was passed by Tynwald on 15th April 1919 and received Royal Assent on 21st June 1919. The Act gave the vote to the following classes of people:

i)             Every man or woman aged over 21 owning or leasing and in actual occupation of real estate with a value of £4.

ii)            Every man or woman aged over 21 on the 12th of May on the year of voter registration and having been resident on the Island for the preceding twelve months.

iii)           Males over 18-years-of-age whose usual place of residence was the Island and had served with His Majesty’s forces in the Great War.

 Those who had been conscientious objectors and had also refused to do work of national importance during the Great War were prohibited from voting for a period of five years from the termination of the war.

Under the Act women were to no longer be disqualified by sex, age, or marriage from being elected, voted, or sitting as a member of the House of Keys. 

​The Isle of Man Constitution Amendment Act 1919 amended the Isle of Man’s unwritten constitution, codifying some of its elements for the first time. The Act received Royal Assent on 18th August 1919, and came into effect on 7th October 1919.

The 1919 Act imposed an obligation upon the Governor to convene meetings of Tynwald upon receipt of a request signed by a majority of members of either Branch. Similarly, the Governor was obliged under the Act to convene a meeting of either branch on receipt of a request signed by a majority of the Branch in question.

The 1919 Act stripped the Archdeacon, the Vicar-General and the Receiver-General of their seats on the Legislative Council. However, they remained Justices of the Peace.

Under the Act, the Legislative Council would be composed of the Bishop, the First and Second Deemsters, the Attorney General, four members elected by and from the House of Keys, and two members appointed by the Governor. The elected and appointed members were to serve four year terms.

It was stipulated that to be qualified for appointment or election to the Legislative Council one must be a male of no less than 21 years of age and resident of the Isle of Man, and, no appointed member could be in receipt of a salary from either the Manx or British Government. Furthermore, bankruptcy, insolvency, mental disorder, and long-run absenteeism from meetings were all grounds for disqualification.

The 1919 Act also conferred a power upon the Governor to authorise a member of the Council to speak, but not vote, in the House of Keys, when a Government Bill passed by the Council was before the House for consideration.

The Act also empowered Tynwald to mandate statutory boards or committees to submit periodical reports and any accompanying recommendations for its consideration. This power was to have all the force as if it was contained in the committee or boards’ enacting legislation. Furthermore, Tynwald was empowered to vary the composition of any board or committee by resolution.