Electoral Roll

This section will answer your questions about becoming a member of the Church Electoral Roll. Each of our 5 churches have a separate Electoral Roll.
 

1. Why should I request that my name is added to the Electoral Roll?
Being on the Church Electoral Roll is a way of demonstrating your willingness to help shape the future of the Church, not just locally, but nationally and even internationally. It also enables you to participate and vote in the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM).

2. Who is the Electoral Roll for?
The Church Electoral Roll is for lay persons only. Retired clergy are still clergy and therefore not eligible for inclusion.

3. Who can be included on the Electoral Roll?
To be entitled to be included on the Electoral Roll, a lay person must have:

1. been Baptised, and
2. attained their sixteenth birthday on or before the date of the annual parochial church meeting, and
3. submitted a signed application form for enrolment, and must be one of the following:
   1. a member of the Church of England, or of a Church in communion with the Church of England, and resident in the parish; or
   2. 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
   3. 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.
   4. Please see Electoral-Roll-Revision-Rules-2023 below for full details

4. Can I be on more than one Electoral Roll?
A person can be on the Roll of several parishes if fulfilling the above criteria, but can only use one parish for the purposes of membership of the PCC, elections to synods, etc.

5. When can my name be added to the Roll?
Names can be added to or removed from the Roll during the course of the year, except during the short time interval between the completion of the Electoral Roll and the close of the APCM.

6. If I live in the Parish; won’t may name be automatically added to the Electoral Roll?
Living in the parish will not automatically add you to the electoral roll.

7. If I already attend St Mary’s Church regularly; won’t my name be automatically added to the Electoral Roll?
Coming to church regularly or giving regularly will not automatically add you to the electoral roll.

8. So how do I get my name added to the Electoral Roll?
You can only be added to the electoral roll after completing the form below and returning it to our Electoral Roll Officer. Please contact our Parish Administrator Janet Rouse here for further details.

9. Once my name is on the electoral roll how long will it stay there?
The electoral roll is revised annually with minor amendments such as a change of address. However to ensure that its contents remain substantially correct, every sixth year a new electoral roll is created from scratch and all potential members need to re-apply to have their name added to the new roll. This process will next happen in 2025.

10. How do I get my name removed from the Electoral Roll?
You can be removed from the electoral roll by writing to the Electoral Roll Officer.

11. What will happen to my details on the Electoral Roll Application Form
This is described in our data protection policy which can be viewed here.