| Voting Procedure
Following is information on the
procedure to be used for voting on Proposed Amendments to the Constitution.
Section G-18.0301c. of the Constitution reads in part:
“. . . Presbyteries shall transmit their votes to the Stated
Clerk by the next ensuing stated meeting of the General Assembly,
but no later than one year following the adjournment of the assembly
transmitting the proposed amendments.”
- Icon indicates files that are in printable
Adobe Acrobat format and requires the free Acrobat Reader. For
best results, right-click the link (or click and hold for Macintosh),
select "save target as" and save the document to your
desktop for viewing and printing.
Form: The reporting document
is available online.
You will be able to return the completed document by snail mail,
or fax (see necessary information on the attached form
).
Verification Process: Shortly
after receiving the information from the stated clerk of presbytery,
OGA will send an email verification letter. This letter will be sent to the official stated
clerk’s email address in OGA’s presbytery/synod listing.
We will request an email response back from that same official
email address stating that the information we have recorded is
correct.
Suggested Deadline: It is
our intention to have the revised Book of Order available
one year after convening of the prior General Assembly. In order
to have the Book of Order ready for distribution by that date, we are requesting that all presbytery voting be accomplished
and reported to OGA by May
18, 2009. If this will pose a problem for your presbytery, please
let us know.
Information Pertaining to Amendments this Year: It is advisable
for the presbytery committee and the stated clerk to agree on
organizing the report and recommendations so that the presbytery
is able to vote “yes” in favor of the amendment and
“no” in opposition. Also, in case anyone should ask,
when the presbytery votes on an amendment, the question is decided
by a simple majority vote. No absentee or proxy votes are allowed.
Of course, the proposed amendments cannot be further amended by
the presbytery.
In a number of the proposed amendments, changes are being proposed to more than one part of the Book of Order. Approval of the amendment will mean approval of the changes to all the portions listed with that amendment. |