UK compliance guide

Electoral Roll management for UK Anglican parishes

The Church Representation Rules 2020 set the rules for the Electoral Roll. This is what those rules mean in practice for the Electoral Roll Officer, including the 14-day display rule, the six-yearly full revision, and what a sensible workflow looks like.

7 min read · Updated May 2026

What the Church Representation Rules 2020 require

Every Anglican parish maintains an Electoral Roll of qualified members aged 16+. The PCC must revise it annually before the APCM, and undertake a full revision (i.e. invite everyone to reapply) every six years. New entries are added on application and signed declaration. The roll must be displayed publicly for at least 14 days before the APCM, with the dates the revision was carried out clearly stated.

What the Electoral Roll Officer actually does

Process applications (paper or digital). Verify eligibility. Add to the roll. Run an annual revision before APCM. Run a full revision in the sixth year. Print the roll for public display. Keep a record of the dates each revision happened and the people who served as Electoral Roll Officer through the period. None of this is hard. All of it is fiddly to do in a spreadsheet shared by email.

The 14-day APCM display rule

Before the APCM, the revised roll must be on display for at least 14 days. In practice this means a printed copy at the back of the church, signed by the ERO and the Vicar/Priest-in-Charge, with the cut-off date for objections clearly stated. Modern software should remind you of the 14-day window automatically once the APCM date is set.

The six-year full revision

Every sixth year, the parish does a full revision: everyone on the roll is asked to reapply within a stated window. People who don't reapply by the deadline come off the roll. After the deadline, the new roll is displayed for at least 14 days before the APCM. This isn't optional — the rules require it.

What good Electoral Roll software does

(1) Online application form with the legal declaration text. (2) Approval/reject workflow with reasons captured. (3) Annual revision flow. (4) Six-year full-revision flow that resets all entries to 'pending reapplication'. (5) Printable roll exports with parish header, ERO name, and revision dates. (6) Audit trail of every add/remove/revision with timestamp and operator. (7) APCM date tracking with 14-day reminder. (8) Reapply links that can be emailed to existing roll members during a full revision.

How MosesTab handles it

The Electoral Roll module covers the full lifecycle: a public application page, approve/reject with audit trail, annual + full revisions, APCM date with 14-day display reminder, printable PDF/CSV export with parish header, and per-entry history. Reapply tokens get emailed to existing roll members on full revision so they can apply again with one click.

See how MosesTab handles the Roll

Frequently asked questions

Who can be on the Electoral Roll?

Anyone aged 16+ who is baptised and either (a) a member of the Church of England (or a church in communion with it), or (b) is a member of another Trinitarian church and has habitually attended public worship in the parish during the preceding six months. The applicant signs a declaration confirming this.

How often is the full revision?

Every six years. Between full revisions, the roll is updated annually with a normal revision (additions, deaths, departures).

Does the Electoral Roll have to be displayed publicly?

Yes — for at least 14 days before each APCM. Display can be a printed list at the back of the church or on a noticeboard. The names and addresses on the list don't need to be redacted; the roll is a public document by design.

Related reading

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