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Who can vote at Annual Conference?

Clergy and laity can attend regular and special sessions of the Upper New York Annual Conference. Voting privileges for both clergy and laity are clearly outlined in the Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church

Clergy
Laity

Clergy Voting Privileges (¶ 602.1)

1. Clergy members in full connection shall have the right to vote on all matters in the Annual Conference except in the election of lay delegates to the general or jurisdictional conferences and shall have sole responsibility for all matters of ordination, character, and conference relations of the clergy.
2. Provisional clergy members shall have the right to vote in the Annual Conference on all matters except constitutional amendments and matters of the clergy's ordination, character, and conference relations.
3. Associate and affiliate clergy members shall have the right to vote in the Annual Conference on all matters except constitutional amendments and matters of the clergy's ordination, character, and conference relations.
4. Regarding Annual Conference, full-time and part-time local pastors under appointment to a pastoral charge shall have the right to vote in the Annual Conference on all matters except constitutional amendments; and matters of ordination, character, and conference relations of clergy.
5. Supply Pastors (District Hires) and those serving from another Annual Conference or denomination do not have vote privileges.

Clergy Session: provisional clergy members, associate clergy members, and full-time and part-time local pastors CAN ATTEND clergy sessions, but they do not have voting rights on the clergy sessions.

Laity Voting Privileges (¶ 602.6)

All lay members of the Annual Conference and lay equalization members have voting privileges on all matters, except on the granting or validation of license, ordination, reception into full conference membership, or any question concerning the character and official conduct of ordained ministers, except those who are members of the Board of Ordained Ministry and the Committee on Investigations.