Synodical Government Measure 1969

[F1 Entitlement to vote E

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 3 substituted (1.1.2020) by Church Representation and Ministers Measure 2019 (No. 1), s. 1(3), Sch. 1 (with Sch. 3); S.I. 2019/1460, art. 2

54 (1) A person is entitled to vote in an election to the House of Laity held in a diocese if, at the close of nominations, the person is a diocesan elector in that diocese. E

(2) In each diocese other than the diocese in Europe, the diocesan electors are the members of the house of laity of each deanery synod in the diocese, apart from any person who is—

(a) co-opted under Rule 18(2), or

(b) a lay member of a religious community which has separate representation in the General Synod under Rule 46(1)(c).

(3) In the diocese in Europe, the diocesan electors are the persons elected by the annual meeting of each chaplaincy, with the number to be elected being determined by the bishop's council and standing committee of the diocese; and a person is qualified for election as a diocesan elector if he or she is a lay person—

(a) who is an actual communicant,

(b) who is aged 18 or over, and

(c) whose name is entered on the electoral roll of a chaplaincy in the diocese.

(4) The deadline for qualifying as a diocesan elector in an election to the House of Laity is 6.00 a.m. on—

(a) the date of the dissolution of the Synod, or

(b) in the case of an election to fill a casual vacancy, the date on which invitations to nominate are issued.

(5) The diocesan electoral registration officer must, at least 21 days before invitations to nominate are issued under Rule 55, give the secretary of each deanery synod in the diocese a copy of the names and addresses recorded in the register of lay electors.

(6) The secretary of each deanery synod must, within seven days of receiving the copy names and addresses, provide the diocesan electoral registration officer with—

(a) if the names and addresses are correct, a certificate in writing to that effect, or

(b) if they are not correct, a notification in writing of the corrections required.

(7) In ascertaining for the purposes of paragraph (6) whether the names and addresses are correct, the secretary of each deanery synod must ask each elector who has not provided an email address whether he or she wishes to provide one.

(8) The diocesan electoral registration officer must, no later than seven days before invitations to nominate are issued under Rule 55, give a copy of the names and addresses (with any corrections required having been made) to the presiding officer in the election.

(9) The register of lay electors must be available for inspection at the diocesan office during the period beginning with the issue of invitations to nominate under Rule 55 and ending with the close of nominations.

(10) The register of lay electors must, in the form in which it is made available for inspection, include the name of each elector but no other personal data.

(11) Corrections to the register may be made up until the close of nominations; but after the close of nominations, no names may be added to or removed from the register until the declaration of the result of the election.]