In my Diocese, they are elected by the convention, with each parish in the Diocese sending representatives who vote for the Bishop. Members of the clergy also vote, but they are only about 20% of votes cast. The field of candidates is winnowed until somebody gets a majority of votes cast. Not direct democracy, but something pretty close. The Bishop cannot be elected without the support of a fairly large number of the representatives of the congregations.
The fact of the matter is that a majority of congregations in NH supported Robinson. Was the vote even close?
I was going to add to my post that the majority of NH Episcopalians support Bishop Robinson. Thanks for correcting that oversight.