The five-yearly elections to the Church of England’s General Synod – effectively its Parliament – are a strange phenomenon.
There are three Houses – one for bishops (most of which are filled ex officio by the diocesan bishops but nine of whom are elected), one for clergy and one for laity. Two hundred clergy and 200 laity were elected over 95 different elections across constituencies comprised of the 42 dioceses and other groupings. Each of these was run by the complex process of the Single Transferable Vote, in which voters number candidates (in some cases over 30 of them!) in order of preference, to elect anything from just one member (but usually three or more) to 13 members to the Synod.
Newly elected Synod to meet – but who are they?
The five-yearly elections to the Church of England’s General Synod – effectively its Parliament – are a strange phenomenon.
There are three Houses – one for bishops (most of which are filled ex officio by the diocesan bishops but nine of whom are elected), one for clergy and one for laity. Two hundred clergy and 200 laity were elected over 95 different elections across constituencies comprised of the 42 dioceses and other groupings. Each of these was run by the complex process of the Single Transferable Vote, in which voters number candidates (in some cases over 30 of them!) in order of preference, to elect anything from just one member (but usually three or more) to 13 members to the Synod.