At the 78th General Convention, the House of Deputies will elect people to these positions:
- President of the House of Deputies: 1 clerical or lay deputy for a 3-year term
- Vice-President of the House of Deputies: 1 clerical or lay deputy of the opposite order of the president for a 3-year term
- Secretary of the House of Deputies: 3-year term elected by the House of Deputies; upon confirmation by the House of Bishops, becomes the Secretary of General Convention
- Treasurer of the General Convention: 3-year term elected by concurrent action of both Houses
- Executive Council: 2 priests or deacons and 6 lay persons for 6-year terms
- Disciplinary Board for Bishops: 2 priests or deacons and 2 lay persons for 6-year terms
- Trustees of the Church Pension Fund: 12 trustees for 6-year terms
- Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary: 2 priests or deacons and 2 lay persons for 6-year terms
- Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of a Presiding Bishop: 1 clerical deputy and 1 lay deputy from each Province for 3-year terms
The House of Deputies will confirm these elections held by the House of Bishops:
- Presiding Bishop: 1 bishop for a nine-year term
- Executive Council: 2 bishops elected for 6-year terms
- General Board of Examining Chaplains: 2 bishops, 3 priests, 3 seminary faculty and 3 laypeople for 6-year terms
- Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer: 1 person for a 6-year term
- Historiographer: 1 person for a 3-year term (traditionally the Registrar of General Convention)
- Recorder of Ordinations: 1 person or institution for a 3-year term
Both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops will confirm appointments that the Presiding Bishop makes and that I make to:
- Board of the Archives of the Episcopal Church: 2 bishops appointed by the Presiding Bishop; 2 priests or deacons and 3 lay persons appointed by the President of the House of Deputies
- Board for Transition Ministry: 2 bishops appointed by the Presiding Bishop; 2 priests or deacons and 2 lay persons appointed by the President of the House of Deputies
You can learn more about each of these positions in Appendix 3 (page 23) of “An Introduction to the 78th General Convention for Bishops and Deputies.” (hereafter “the Introduction”). You can also learn about nominations for positions elected by the House of Deputies and how to make nominations from the floor.
Schedule of Elections
The House of Deputies will handle elections over five days during General Convention:
Thursday, June 25
The election of the Secretary of the House of Deputies will be held in the opening legislative session, as part of the organization of the House.
Saturday, June 27
The House of Deputies will vote to confirm or not to confirm the bishops’ choice of presiding bishop, as per Canon I.2.1 (f), after receiving the recommendation of the legislative committee on the Confirmation of the Presiding Bishop (Committee #19). President Jennings anticipates that the confirmation vote will take place during the afternoon legislative session.
Sunday, June 28
Elections for all positions (except vice president of the House of Deputies and the members of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of a Presiding Bishop) will take place during the afternoon legislative session.
Provincial Caucuses will meet immediately following the afternoon legislative session in order to nominate lay and clerical deputies to serve on the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of a Presiding Bishop.
Monday, June 29
Nominations for vice president of the House of Deputies will take place during the afternoon legislative session. The House waits to handle nominations for vice president until after the election of the president because the vice president must be of a different order from the president (Canon I.1.1 (b)).
Tuesday, June 30
Elections for the vice president of the House of Deputies and members of Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of a Presiding Bishop will take place during the afternoon legislative session.
Confirmations of elections by the House of Bishops will be scheduled as messages about the results of those elections are received by the House of Deputies.
