What is the Electoral Roll?
It is the Parish Church’s register of electors, including St Mark’s Church. 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 Peter and St Paul or St Mark’s as your spiritual home does that. Indeed, a condition of joining the Roll is that you are already a ‘member’ of a Church!
Do I have to join?
You can be a full and active member of our churches without joining the Roll. Being on the Electoral Roll does not entail signing up to any additional commitments. However, 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)
• Participate in voting at the APCM
• Get married or baptise your child/children in the Parish Church or St Mark’s Church, if you live outside the parish
Do I qualify for the Roll?
To apply for the Electoral Roll, you must meet all the following conditions:
• You must be aged 16 or over (though you can apply in the year you become 16 and your name will be entered once your birth date has passed)
• You must be baptised
• You must be a member of the Church of England and either live in the parish or have attended a church in the parish regularly for at least 6 months
Why join the Electoral Roll?
Joining the Electoral Roll is an important way of confirming your commitment to our church communities and to the vision of the church. But it also opens up the way for greater involvement in the life of the Church of England, at Deanery, Diocesan and national levels. By joining, you become entitled to participate in the government of the church and to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, where the elections take place for:
• The Parochial Church Council (PCC)
• The parish’s representatives on the Deanery Synod
Any person entitled to attend the APCM may raise any question of parochial or general church interest.
Electoral Roll Application Form can be downloaded here or are available from our Electoral Roll Officer, Hilary Reeve at GodalmingChurchElectoralRoll@gmail.com
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