Elections to the General Synod 2021 to 2026
The General Synod considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, formulates new forms of worship, debates matters of national and international importance and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level. It is therefore vital that the membership of the General Synod reflects the full diversity of background, experience, ethnicity and tradition in the Church and in the society we serve.
As a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the elections to General Synod due to start in July 2020 were postponed. The current General Synod was officially dissolved last week and we will shortly be starting the election process for the General Synod 2021 to 2026.
For this period, the Diocese is able to elect 3 members of the clergy and 4 members of the laity to the General Synod.
Timetable
The timetable for this year’s elections is:
Nominations open | 30 July 2021 |
Nominations close | 8 September 2021 |
Voting opens | 17 September 2021 |
Voting closes | 8 October 2021 |
The count | Either 11, 12, 13 or 14 October 2021 – further information will be made available in due course. |
Who can be nominated?
Clergy – Any member of the clergy who holds ecclesiastical office in the Diocese or Cathedral or who has PTO in the Diocese can stand for election.
Laity – Any communicant member of the Church of England who is 18 years or over and who is named on the electoral roll of a parish in the Diocese can stand for election. You do not need to be on a Deanery Synod or Diocesan Synod.
Who can nominate?
Any members of the clergy wishing to stand for election must be proposed and seconded by other clergy.
Any lay person wishing to stand must be proposed and seconded by current members of the House of Laity of a Deanery Synod.
Standing for election
For the first time, the Church of England has established a national online election portal allowing individuals to participate in the process electronically.
Deanery Synod members who have provided an email address for the purposes of conducting Synodical business should expect to receive an email from UK CES General Synod Elections (Civica Electoral Services) on or before 30 July 2021 inviting them to participate in the elections using the online portal. If you are expecting to receive an email but it has not arrived by this date, please check your junk/trash mailbox and then contact Laura Chesham, Deputy Registrar (contact details below) if you have not received the email.
If you have not provided an email address, you will receive a letter from the Diocesan Registry (VWV) enclosing a paper nomination form.
If you are not a member of a Deanery Synod but you would like to record your nomination to the election portal yourself for election to General Synod, please contact Laura Chesham using the details below. Log in details to access the online portal can then be provided.
At the end of the nominations period, if there are more candidates than seats available, a ballot will be required. Voting will take place both online and in paper in a similar way to the nominations process.
For further information on standing for election please visit the Church of England website.
If you have any questions in relation to participating in the General Synod elections, please contact Laura Chesham, Deputy Registrar on ku.oc1731416346.vwv@1731416346yrtsi1731416346gerre1731416346tsecu1731416346olg1731416346 or 07741 310636.