Bahá’í Election Season
By Alissa on Apr 21, 2008 in Baha'i, Community Actitivities
As many individuals in the United States gear up for the November elections, Bahá’ís all over the world are preparing for a different kind of election. Every year on the 20th of April, Bahá’ís in every country elect their local governing bodies. These local governing bodies, called Local Spiritual Assemblies, are composed of nine adult members (age 21 and older) who reside in that locality. All Bahá’ís who vote are also eligible to be elected to serve on the Local Spiritual Assembly (LSA).
“Serving on an institution” is a key point. LSA members are seen as servants of the community rather than as occupying positions of power. The elections are held in a prayerful atmosphere, where after saying prayers and quiet reflection, individuals cast their secret ballots. Adults who cannot attend are encouraged to send in absentee ballots. One of the unique aspects of the Bahá’í elections is that there is no campaigning or nominations. As stated in a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, “let them exercise the utmost vigilance so that the elections are carried out freely, universally and by secret ballot. Any form of intrigue, deception, collusion and compulsion must be stopped and is forbidden.”1 Instead Bahá’ís should “consider without the least trace of passion and prejudice, and irrespective of any material consideration, the names of only those who can best combine the necessary qualities of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience.”2
For more information about election of the National Spiritual Assembly please read this article or watch this video on youtube about Bahá’í elections.
1 In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 8 March 1932 to a Local Spiritual Assembly
2 In a letter written by Shoghi Effendi, 3 June 1925
On Apr 21, 2008, Mitko G. said:
When I think of Baha’i elections, I think of them in multiple dimensions:
First, I as a humble individual get to elect the body that will govern the spiritual affairs of a whole community. Moreover, through the whole Baha’i Administrative System, by electing the representatives who will in turn elect the National Spiritual Assembly, who in their turn will elect the members of the Universal House of Justice, I get to participate in a process that influences the whole world.
Secondly, I think of the contrast of Baha’i elections with any other political process I have witnessed — whether during my Communist Youth League days in Bulgaria in the 1980s or in the most current presidential elections in the USA. There is no campaigning in the Baha’i elections and the criteria is the selection of the most able, most humble, most spiritual person who would selflessly carry on the work of God in the community. This is so dramatically different from anything else I have witnessed, that it is simply refreshing, and hope-giving.
Thirdly, I think of the idea of personal faith not in contrast but in agreement with the idea of organized religion. I’ve always wanted my religion to foster a personal connection with God. On the other hand I also wanted my religion to have an impact on the society we live in. The Baha’i Faith is exactly such a religion where the confluence of personal and societal create a sum that is more than its individual parts, and the Baha’i election process is what links the prayerful mood through the idea and to the action.
A religious life of just prayer, while fundamentally important, is not enough to influence the affairs of a world sinking in materialistic contradictions. Action that is informed by the inspiration borne out of a prayerful mood is a key. The Baha’i election is exactly such a magical combination where our prayers impact the decisions we make so that the people we select can make a true, spiritual, difference.