wfn.org | Anglican Archbishop of Canada to be chosen by e-mail

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 2865 - CANADA - 8 February 2002

Archbishop of Canada to be chosen by e-mail

[Anglican Journal] In a move designed to save thousands of dollars in travel
expenses, eliminate an extra meeting and preserve summer vacations, the
Ecclesiastical Province of Canada plans to vote for a new metropolitan by
fax and e-mail.

The idea came from the Revd Alan Perry, an Internet-savvy priest from
Pierrefonds, Quebec, who also set up and maintains the ecclesiastical
province's website.

Father Perry figured the province would save more than $20,000 in travel
costs alone by taking the electronic route in the election to replace
Archbishop Arthur Peters of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, whose
retirement as metropolitan becomes effective in February.

The province was founded in 1860, and predates the national church by three
decades. It includes seven dioceses: Montreal, Quebec, Fredericton, Nova
Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Western Newfoundland, Central Newfoundland
and Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador. The e-mail election has tentatively
been scheduled for May.

The thorniest problem was how to set up a protocol to protect the anonymity
of the vote. That was addressed with the planned introduction of two
scrutineers, both from outside the province and neither a member of council,
with e-mail and fax capabilities. "For less than the cost of a council
[Elective Assembly] we could buy them each a computer and a fax," Father
Perry said.

Each voter will submit a ballot to both scrutineers, he said, who will in
turn check with each other. People will have three days to submit their vote
after receiving a list of candidates. In order to be elected, the candidate
must receive a majority in each of the three orders-- bishops, clergy and
laity.

The priest said scrutineers preserve the anonymity of the vote by destroying
faxes and erasing e-mails after the voting is over.

Jane Davidson
Staff Writer

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