Importance of the Church electoral roll
The parish church electoral roll is the first building block of the church’s governance structure. It is a register of the lay members of the church who are entitled to vote at the APCM. Those on the roll, subject to the note below, are eligible to be elected to lay representative positions on their PCC and deanery synod. Deanery synod representatives may then be elected to diocesan synod and general synod. The total number on the parish church electoral roll, as presented at the APCM, is an important factor in determining the number of lay representatives (parochial and deanery synod) that a parish may have. It is only a small component of how the parish share allocation is determined.
Given this, each year a formal process is undertaken by the PCC, as preparation for the APCM, to ensure the roll’s accuracy. 2026 is electoral roll revision year, meaning only additons and deletions are made to an existing list. A new roll is required to be prepared every six years (the next is 2031), where the roll starts from zero and everyone has to apply to join. Please see the APCM webpage for further guidance on the procedure, forms and timing of this process. For the rules governing electoral roll enrolment, revisions and preparation see Church Representation Rules Part 1. A summary of these rules is provided below with the relevant link to the forms.
The only qualifications required are to be resident, baptised, 16 or over, self-declared member of the Church of England (or church in communion with it) and not ordained. Where you are not resident in the parish, you need to attend worship (at least monthly) for over six months and still meet the other conditions.
Note 1: Anyone wishing to stand for election to the parochial church council or deanery synod must have had their name entered on the Church Electoral Roll for not less than six months prior to the election (except in the case of those under the age of eighteen) and be an ‘actual communicant’ see CRR 83(2) for definition.
A formal revision of the Church Electoral Roll must take place each year in preparation for the APCM. During this period, parishioners must be publicly notified of their opportunity to apply for inclusion on the roll or to request removals, in accordance with the circumstances set out in CRR part 1 (4).
Outside this annual revision, names do not need to be removed from the electoral roll. However, eligible individuals may be added to the roll at any time during the year, except for the short specified period in the APCM process