Changing the orders of the day

Districts are having their pre-convention meetings to help delegates prepare for the work they’ll have to do in Houston here in a few weeks. I’ve been talking to folks from districts around the country and one of the interesting (to me, at least) issues under discussion is about changing the orders of the day. First, let’s talk about what this means.

You can go see a schedule for what happens at the convention, which runs from July 9 to July 17. Friday and Saturday are floor committee meetings and what not and the action really starts on Sunday, July 11. The election of our new president, as currently scheduled, won’t happen until Tuesday, July 13.

Some delegates are wondering whether they can move that vote up to the first day of business on Sunday the 11th. I’ve heard from people in attendance that the question was asked by delegates at a number of different pre-convention meetings. These include different parts of the country, obviously, but also delegates who support different candidates. I’ve also heard that some district presidents who are supporters of President Kieschnick are also hoping to change the orders of the day to enable an earlier vote.

Now, I have absolutely no idea if it will happen, but I thought it interesting that it’s being discussed. And to answer the question, yes, it’s possible to change the orders of the day.

Some advocates of President Kieschnick have already talked about the importance of not passing the Blue Ribbon Task Force if Harrison is elected President. So that probably explains why they would want to change the orders of the day. It will be hard for those people (whose view of the Blue Ribbon Task Force recommendations changes based on who is in leadership) to know how to vote on the proposals without knowing who the next president will be. On the other hand, some of President Kieschnick’s greatest skills, arguably, are political. Couldn’t he use those two days of complete control of the convention floor? Even if the orders were changed so that the vote would be on the first day, it would still come after a presentation by President Kieschnick of his “President’s Report.”

All this to say I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see a change in orders of the day to permit delegates to vote earlier on who will become their next Synodical President.

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