Who can stand for election?
House of Laity
You may be eligible to stand for election to the House of Laity even if you are not eligible to vote in the House of Laity elections.
To stand for election to the House of Laity of the General Synod, a person must:
- Have received Holy Communion in accordance with the practice of the Church of England, or a Church in communion with it, at least three times in the twelve months preceding the date of the dissolution of the General Synod.
- Be confirmed (or ready and willing to be confirmed), or be a communicant member of a Church that subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
- Be 18 years of age or older on the date of the dissolution of the General Synod (expected July 2026).
In addition, the person’s name must either:
- Be on the electoral roll of a parish within the Diocese, or
- Be on the community roll of the Cathedral Church of the Diocese.
House of Clergy
To be eligible to stand for election to the House of Clergy in the Diocese or other electoral area, a person must:
- Have been ordained as a priest or deacon;
- Not be in episcopal orders; and
- Fall into one of the following categories:
- A qualified elector in the Diocese or other electoral area; or
- A person who has written permission from the Bishop to officiate in the Diocese and who would be a qualified elector if they were:
- a member of a deanery synod in the Diocese or other electoral area; or
- in the Diocese in Europe, a member of a deanery or archdeaconry synod; or
- in the Diocese of Sodor and Man, a member of the Diocesan Synod.
A person may stand for election if they are normally a qualified elector in the universities and TEIs constituency, provided that:
- They choose to stand in the Diocese or electoral area instead of the universities and TEIs constituency
- If they decide to stand in the Diocese/area rather than in the universities and TEIs constituency, they must inform both:
- the Presiding Officer for the Diocese, and
- the Presiding Officer for the universities and TEIs constituency
- They are beneficed in, or licensed to, a parish in the Diocese or other electoral area
- They are licensed to serve as a vicar in a team ministry in a benefice in the Diocese or other electoral area
- They would otherwise be eligible to vote in the Diocese or electoral area (they meet all the usual requirements to be an elector in that Diocese except that they are currently registered as an elector in the universities and TEIs constituency).
