House of Keys Election Act extends the Isle of Man franchise to women property owners

Legislative Change. In 1881, Tynwald became the first national legislative body to grant women the right to vote in a general election. This right was restricted to unmarried women, as married women were explicitly excluded from this initial extension of the franchise, which preceded later reforms granting equal voting terms.

Historical Context. The House of Keys, known as Yn Kiare as Feed, is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald. The oldest known reference to the name appears in a 1417 Latin document, which uses the terms Claves Manniae (the "Keys of Man") and Claves Legis (the "Keys of Law"). A later development, noted without a date in the source, saw the vote extended to women on equal terms with men and most of the Legislative Council become elected by the House of Keys.