LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 492

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492

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION
(a) Each electoral circuit shall meet at the call of the circuit
visitor(s) to elect its delegates not later than nine months prior to
the opening day of the convention. When in-person meetings are
burdensome (e.g., geographically large circuits), a circuit may
select another manner of meeting (e.g., e-meeting technologies)
that is suitable and made available to all participants, taking into
consideration the need to provide for an open and fair exchange
of ideas and secure, private, and confidential voting. The district
board of directors shall determine how its electoral clusters will
caucus in light of its prescribed number of delegates to the next
national convention Such groupings shall take into consideration
geographical and such other factors as will provide reasonable
and equitable congregational representation in and as a result of
the delegate selection process to occur not later than nine months
prior to the opening day of the Synod convention.
(b) Each electoral circuit may adopt procedures and methods
that will insure efficiency and accuracy, including the use of
mechanical, electronic, or other methods of casting, recording, or
tabulating votes. Elections shall be by written ballot. Candidates
for election as delegates to the national convention shall be the
delegates attending the district convention, except for those
unwilling or unable to serve.
(c) The privilege of voting shall be exercised by one pastor and
one layperson from each member congregation of the circuit,
both of whom shall have been selected in the manner prescribed
by the congregation. Multiple parishes shall be entitled to a lay
vote from each member congregation. Time shall be allotted on
the district convention agenda to allow the delegates from each
electoral cluster to caucus in order to select its delegates to the
following national convention
(d) All pastors who are not advisory members under Article V B
of the Constitution shall be eligible for election.
(1) Each voter may write in the names of two pastors on the
initial ballot The three pastors (or more, in case of a tie vote)
who receive the highest number of votes in this preliminary
ballot shall be placed on the next ballot
(2) Each voter shall now vote for only one candidate Balloting
shall continue with the lowest candidate being removed from
each succeeding ballot until one pastor shall have received a
simple majority of all votes cast, whereupon he shall be
declared the pastoral delegate
(3) The congregation or congregations served by the elected
pastoral delegate shall be removed from consideration for
supplying any other voting delegate or alternate for that
particular convention
A circuit visitor appointed by the president of the district shall
chair the caucus. Nominations shall be received and delegates
elected in the following order: (1) minister religion–ordained
delegate; (2) lay delegate; (3) alternate minister religion–
ordained delegate; and (4) alternate lay delegate.
(e) A majority ballot vote is required for the election of each
delegate. Prior to the meeting of the electoral circuit, each
congregation may nominate one layperson, either from its
congregation or from the circuit. These names must be submitted
to the circuit visitor prior to the day of the circuit meeting and
shall constitute the slate of candidates. All congregational
nominees, except those who have been eliminated through the
election of the pastoral delegate, shall be eligible for election.
(1) Each voter may write in the name of two of the remaining
lay nominees on the initial ballot The three laypersons (or
more, in case of a tie vote) who received the highest number
of votes in this preliminary ballot shall be placed on the next
ballot
(2) Each voter shall now vote for only one candidate.
Balloting shall continue with the lowest candidate being
removed from each succeeding ballot until one layperson shall

2019 Convention Workbook

have received a simple majority of all votes cast, whereupon
he or she shall be declared the lay delegate.
(3) The congregation from which the lay delegate has been
elected shall then be removed from consideration for
supplying any alternates to that particular convention.
(f) All other pastors who received votes in the initial write-in
ballot, except those who were eliminated through the election of
the lay delegate, shall be eligible for election as the alternate.
(1) Each voter shall now vote for only one candidate.
(2) Balloting shall continue with the lowest candidate being
removed from each succeeding ballot until one pastor shall
have received a simple majority of all votes cast, whereupon
he shall be declared the alternate pastoral delegate.
(3) The congregation or congregations served by him shall be
removed from consideration for supplying the remaining lay
alternate.
(g) All lay nominees except those who have been disqualified
through the procedures listed above shall be eligible for election
as the alternate lay delegate. The election of the alternate shall
follow the same procedure as in paragraph (f) above.
(hf) All four persons Each delegate elected shall come from four
a different member congregations.
(ig) The circuit visitor(s) selected to chair the caucus shall report
the results of the election to the secretary of the district in writing
immediately after said election.
(jh) If neither the delegate nor the alternate (pastoral minister of
religion–ordained or lay) can is able to serve, the vacancy shall
be filled by an appointment of the district president in
consultation with the respective circuit visitor(s) harmony with
Bylaw 3.1.2.1(a)
(i) Delegates are certified by the submission of their names and
addresses to the Secretary of the Synod by the secretary of the
district using official registration forms provided by the Secretary
of the Synod.
3.1.2.2
Voting delegates Delegates shall serve from the time of
election a three-year term beginning with until the next district
convention, shall functioning as advisory members of the circuit
forum, shall serve as resource persons to the congregations they
represent and to the district and national Synod, in the circuit, and
shall assisting in the dissemination and implementation of reports
and resolutions of the national convention Synod in the circuit
(a) Delegates They are responsible to the circuits the
congregations they represent and shall attempt to discover the
sentiment of the members thereof, but the congregations
(b) Congregations shall not require their delegates them to vote
in accordance with specific instructions, but every delegate shall
be permitted to vote according to his or her own conviction.
(cb) Delegates are expected to be faithful in attendance at They
shall attend all sessions of the convention All duly elected voting
delegates shall attend all sessions regularly until the close of the
convention Delegates who arrive late or leave early or who do not
attend at all shall and present a written excuse to their respective
district president for all absences, late arrivals, and early
departures.
(d) Delegates shall report the actions of the Synod to their
circuits after each convention, preferably appearing before each
of the congregations they represent
3.1.3.1.
Each district shall select one advisory delegate for every
60120 advisory ordained ministers and specific ministry pastors, and
one advisory delegate for every 60120 commissioned ministers on
the roster of the Synod Fractional groupings shall be disregarded
except that each district shall be entitled to at least one advisory
delegate in each category”
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