Electoral Roll - What is it and should I join?
What is the Electoral Roll?
It is your parish church’s register of electors. In the same way that being on the civic Electoral Roll allows you to vote in parliamentary and local elections and referenda, joining the Church Electoral Roll means that you can vote on Church matters, attend the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and stand for election to the PCC.
Being on the Electoral Roll does NOT make you a “member” of the Church; simply regarding St Stephen's as your spiritual home does that.
Do I have to join?
You can, of course, be a full and active member of St Stephen's Church without joining the Roll. Being on the Electoral Roll does not entail signing up to any additional commitments, however, it does help the Church show its strength. Representation on the governing bodies of the church depends on the number on the Electoral Roll.
Joining the Roll is compulsory if you wish to:
Stand for election to the PCC or other synodical council (such as the Deanery, Diocesan or General Synod)
Attend the APCM and participate in votes
Who can be included on the Electoral Roll?To be entitled to be included on the Electoral Roll, a lay person must have:
been Baptised, andattained their sixteenth birthday on or before the date of the annual parochial church meeting, andsubmitted a signed application form for enrolment, and must be one of the following:* a member of the Church of England, or of a Church in communion with the Church of England, and resident in the parish; or
* a member of the Church of England and, not being resident in the parish, to have habitually attended public worship in the parish during a period of six months prior to enrolment; or
* a member in good standing of a Church which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity (not being a Church in communion with the Church of England) and also prepared to declare himself to be a member of the Church of England having habitually attended public worship in the parish during a period of six months prior to enrolment.
If you have any further questions please talk to Rev'd Abbie Palmer, one of the Churchwardens or the Electoral Roll Officer (Heike).
To join: Please print either pdf or Word version of the form, fill it in and then send as a photo attachment to [email protected]. Alternatively you can obtain a paper copy in church and hand this in.