By common consent this record may be omitted from the published minutes. Vote of the Moderator. When the vote is by roll call or by ballot, the moderator shall vote with the other members. In no other cases shall he vote unless the court be equally divided. If he declines to vote, the motion is lost.
Members ought always to vote except for valid reasons.
Unless excused by the court, non-voters must be considered as acquiescing with the majority. A member has no vote in the trial of a case in which he is involved. The sessions of Synod shall ordinarily be open to the public, but the court may sit with closed doors on matters which, in its judgment, should not become common knowledge. It may be expedient to refer judicial cases to commissions, which shall try them according to the procedure laid down for Synod. To gain greater freedom of debate, Synod may resolve itself into a committee of the whole.