Structures

1. The Standing Committee requests that the Trustees direct the Comptroller as soon as possible to open a checking account to be used solely for the Episcopal Election Process.
2. The Search Committee shall appoint from its members a Finance Subcommittee of at least two persons.
3. The Transition Committee, after its formation, shall appoint from its members a Finance Subcommittee of at least two persons.

Controls

1. Either the President of the Standing Committee, the Chair of the Search Committee or the Chair of the Transition Committee shall approve all disbursements made from the Episcopal Election Process account.
2. The Finance Subcommittee of the Search Committee shall have stewardship of the Episcopal Election Process account until the Search Committee communicates its nominees to the Standing Committee.
3. The Finance Subcommittee of the Transition Committee shall have stewardship of the Episcopal Election Process account after the Search Committee communicates its nominees to the Standing Committee.
4. Two signatures of members of the appropriate Finance Subcommittee shall be required on all checks drawn on the Episcopal Election Process account.
5. Receipts, statements and all other records of the Episcopal Election Process account shall be held in confidence by the Finance Subcommittee of the Search Committee during its tenure except that they may be confidentially reviewed by auditors retained to review diocesan accounts.  These records will be submitted to the Comptroller after the Convention to Elect a Bishop is complete.
6. The Finance Subcommittee having stewardship of the Episcopal Election Process account shall submit quarterly reports of expenses by category in comparison to the Episcopal Election Process Budget to the Standing Committee, the Trustees, and the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Western New York.

Adopted by the Standing Committee of the
Episcopal Diocese of Western New York on March 19, 2009

1. The Nominating Petition, which shall contain the signatures of not fewer than five members of the Clergy of the Diocese entitled to vote, and not fewer than ten adult communicants in good standing of the Diocese. The petitioners must represent no fewer than five congregations of the Diocese located in at least two Deaneries. The Standing Committee will verify the canonical status of each signatory.
2. All of the materials that the Search Committee has requested from candidates through its nominating process.

The Standing Committee shall be prepared to post a petition document that satisfies this policy to the Episcopal Search website at the time of the announcement of the nominees provided by the Search Committee along with instructions for submitting the petition documents within two weeks.

Adopted by the Standing Committee of the
Episcopal Diocese of Western New York on February 19, 2009

1. Notice of Convention to Elect. Whenever it becomes appropriate for this Diocese to elect a Bishop Diocesan, Bishop Coadjutor or Bishop Suffragan, the necessary consents having been obtained, due notice of the Convention to Elect shall be given by the Ecclesiastical Authority.
2. Committees.
   1. Election and Qualifications. The Standing Committee shall prepare, in consultation with the Bishop Diocesan, if there be one, both a process for the election of persons to the Search Committee and the Transition Committee and the qualifications sought for each committee. If the Diocesan Convention is scheduled to convene within thirty days, the Standing Committee shall seek the concurrence of the Diocesan Convention regarding the election process and qualifications sought. At all other times, the Standing Committee shall seek the concurrence of the Diocesan Council regarding the election process and qualifications sought. The Standing Committee shall communicate the election process and the qualifications sought throughout the diocese.
   2. Search Committee. The Search Committee shall be composed of the following:
      1. One Clerical Member and one Lay Member from each Deanery. The Clerical Member elected shall be canonically resident in the diocese and serving in the electing deanery. The Lay Member elected shall be an adult communicant in good standing of a parish or mission in the electing deanery.
      2. The Standing Committee may appoint up to five additional persons to the committee.
   3. Transition Committee. The Transition Committee shall be composed of the following:
      1. One Clerical Member and one Lay Member from each Deanery. The Clerical Member elected shall be canonically resident in the diocese and serving in the electing deanery. The Lay Member elected shall be an adult confirmed communicant in good standing of a parish or mission in the electing deanery.
      2. The Chancellor of the Diocese.
      3. The Standing Committee may appoint up to three additional persons to the committee.
   4. Organization.
      1. The Standing Committee shall appoint the Chair of the Search Committee and the Chair of the Transition Committee.
      2. The Standing Committee shall convene a joint session of both committees to commission and charge them in their ministries.
      3. Members of the Search Committee shall continue as members until the close of the Convention to Elect at which the Bishop Diocesan, Bishop Coadjutor or Bishop Suffragan is elected, or until the Search Committee has been discharged by vote of the Convention to Elect. Members of the Transition Committee shall continue as members at least six months following the ordination of the bishop-elect or until the Transition Committee is discharged by vote of the Standing Committee. 
      4. A Member of the Search Committee or a member of the Transition Committee whose name is proposed for election under this canon must either withdraw from consideration or resign from the committee. 
      5. The Standing Committee may at any time fill any vacancy in the membership of these committees caused for any reason. 
      6. The Search Committee and the Transition Committee may adopt rules and procedures not inconsistent with the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church and of this Diocese.
3. Nominees.
   1. The Search Committee shall communicate to the Standing Committee not fewer than four nominees whom it considers qualified for the Episcopal Office to be filled at least twelve weeks before the Convention to Elect. The Standing Committee shall communicate the names of the nominees throughout the diocese.
   2. Following the announcement of the names submitted by the Search Committee, other persons may be placed in nomination by Petition. To be nominated by Petition, persons must have the signatures of not fewer than five members of the Clergy of the Diocese entitled to vote, and not fewer than ten adult communicants in good standing of the Diocese. The petitioners must represent no fewer than five congregations of the Diocese located in at least two Deaneries. Petitions must be submitted to the Standing Committee within two weeks of the announcement of the names submitted by the Search Committee.
   3. All nominees shall satisfactorily complete a background investigation, the procedure for which shall be determined by the Search Committee, subject to the Canons and policies of The Episcopal Church and of this Diocese.
   4. Biographical sketches of persons placed in nomination, whether by the Search Committee or by petition, shall be distributed by the Secretary of the Diocesan Convention to each member of the Clergy of the Diocese, to every person who is in charge of a congregation but may otherwise not be entitled to vote, and to each lay member of the Convention to Elect prior to the presentation of the nominees to the diocese.
   5. All nominees will be presented to the Diocese within two weeks of the Convention to Elect.
4. Nominating Process at Convention to Elect. When the Convention to Elect has been called to order and all business incident to its organization has been completed, the Standing Committee shall formally move the nomination of each person nominated who is then qualified for the Episcopal Office to be filled.
5. The Election.
   1. Recognizing the solemnity of such an occasion, the Ecclesiastical Authority shall insure that the election is placed within an appropriate context of worship and prayer. Each member shall vote religiously and in fear of God, the whole solemnity being an act of religion and part of public worship.
   2. An election shall be declared when one candidate receives a concurrent majority of votes in both lay and clerical orders, each order voting separately.
   3. If the Convention to Elect determines that it is unable to elect a person for the Episcopal Office to be filled, it may direct the Standing Committee to publish rules of order to prepare for another Convention to Elect using the processes set forth in this Canon.
6. The Context of the election of a Bishop. This Canon is an act of solemn prayer, trusting in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We know the heritage of the Episcopate is the faith of the patriarchs, apostles, and martyrs, and those of every generation who have looked to God in hope; and that a bishop is called to be one with the apostles in proclaiming Christ's resurrection and interpreting the Gospel, and to testify to Christ's sovereignty as Lord of lords and King of kings. We call upon God to be with us in this election that we may choose a bishop and chief pastor.