What is the electoral roll?
The electoral roll is a register of people who are able to elect other people in the church, a bit like being on the civic electoral roll allows you to vote in local and Parliamentary elections. Being on the church electoral roll means that you can vote on any relevant issues at the annual parochial church meeting and stand for election to the PCC (the church council).
The Church is not a membership club!
Although the electoral roll is the closest thing the Church of England has to ‘membership’, joining the electoral roll doesn’t commit you to anything. It does give you a voice in the future of the church in your community though.
You don’t need to attend services or meetings, but if you care about your community and what the church offers it, it ensures your voice is heard. For example, you might be a member of a Friends group that supports and cares for the Church building, or part of a group looking after the churchyard, or maybe one of your family attends the church school. Signing up to the church’s electoral roll is simply a sign you care about the Church’s future in your community.
Am I eligible to join?
Yes, you are eligible if you are:
- resident in the parish;
- baptised;
- over 16 years old,
- and consider yourself part of the Church of England or a church in communion with it.
If you are not resident in the parish, you can still be on the electoral roll if you’ve attended worship (at least monthly) for over six months and also meet the other conditions.
Count me in! How do I sign up?
By completing the form – ‘Application for enrolment on the church electoral roll’. Speak to the priest or churchwarden in your church, or you can download it from the Parish Resources website.
Resources
If you’d like to broaden your electoral roll and reach out to more members of your community, do share some of the resources below:
Social media post: Version 1, Version 2, Version 3, Version 4
Poster for church noticeboards: Version 1, Version 2
General
It is essential that the Church Electoral Roll is accurately kept, is revised annually and that a new Roll is properly prepared when required. The Roll is used to determine eligibility for attendance and participation at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and for election to the Parochial Church Council (PCC). It is also used to determine eligibility for election to the deanery, diocesan and general synods. In addition it is used for the calculation of the number of representatives who may be elected to each of these synods in the following year.
Revision of Roll
The Roll is revised every year (except when a new Roll is prepared - see next paragraph) in time for the APCM. Notice of the revision should be displayed at least 6 weeks before your APCM to allow for 14-28 days revision period followed by 14 days display of the newly revised Roll prior to the APCM. Please note that to comply with data protection requirements only names should be displayed on the published Roll, not people’s contact details. The forms can be found on the national Parish Resources website by clicking here.
The New Roll
Every sixth year, instead of a revision, a completely new Roll has to be prepared, the next time being in 2025. Notices may be downloaded from the website above. Forms for application for enrolment are the same as those used for an annual revision.
Certification
The numbers on the Roll need to be certified to the Diocesan Office each year. Information about this is sent out automatically by the Diocesan Office in the early part of the year.
Your Questions Answered
Every parish should have access to an up to date copy of the Church Representation Rules (the current edition is dated 2022). This provides the detailed information you require relating to eligibility for inclusion in a Roll, its preparation, maintenance, and revision. It is available from Church House Publishing (01603 785925). It can also be found online by clicking here.
There are some questions that parishes regularly ask this Office and the answers to these are set out below:
- The Church Electoral Roll is for lay persons only. Retired clergy are still clergy and therefore not eligible for inclusion.
- To be entitled to be included on the Roll a lay person must be:
- baptised
- over 16 years of age on or before the date of the annual parochial church meeting. either - a member* of the Church of England, or a Church in Communion with the Church of England (please see attached list), and resident in the parish. (There is no requirement to go to church regularly).
or - a member of the Church of England, or a Church in communion with the Church of England, and resident in another parish, but habitually attending worship in the chosen parish for at least 6 months prior to enrolment (unless prevented from doing so by illness or other sufficient cause).
or - a member of a Church subscribing to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, such as Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, URC, etc (in other words, most mainstream Christian churches but not, for example, Unitarians or Jehovah's Witnesses) and prepared to declare themselves a member of the Church of England, and having habitually attended worship in the chosen parish for at least 6 months prior to enrolment. - A person must also have signed an application form for enrolment.
- 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.
- Except every 6th year, when a new Roll is prepared, the Roll shall be revised annually.
- Names can be added to or removed from the Roll during the course of the year, with the exception as laid down in point 6, below. All such changes must be reported to the next meeting of the PCC.
- No names shall be added to or removed from the Roll between the completion of the Roll and the close of the APCM (which must take place before 31st May each year). This means that those who miss the closing date for completion of the Roll, (14 days before the APCM), will not be eligible to attend the APCM or take part in the proceedings.
- The number of representatives for election to deanery and diocesan synods depends on the number on the Roll in the previous year.
- Under Data Protection legislation (UK-GDPR) the list of those on the Church Electoral Roll may not be used as a general mailing list for church communications except in very limited circumstances. Please see the covering letter to this mailing for advice. Otherwise, a separate consent form will need to be used to compile such a mailing list from the Electoral Roll.
NB - Churchwardens - The meeting to choose the churchwardens may be attended by those on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll of the parish as well as those on the Church Electoral Roll and both categories may participate.
*"member" is not defined by Church Representation Rules - it is enough for a person to say that they are a member of the Church of England.
Useful Contact details
Church House Bookshop, Tel: 020 7799 4064, www.chpublishing.co.uk
Salisbury Diocesan Office, Tel: 01722 411922, www.salisbury.anglican.org