Democratic elections without campaigns: Normative foundations of Bahá’í elections |05 May 2015

Unique to the Baha’i faith in its process of electing competent souls to serve in various capacities, the Baha’i elections are democratic in every sense of the word: there is no campaigning, voting is conducted by secret ballot, and whether we are electing the members of local, national or international institutions, the electoral process stays the same all around the world.

Further contributing to the uniqueness of the Baha’i electoral process are the duties required of electors before, during and even after the election period.

 They should give enough thought to who they are voting for and why, and with taking a meditative approach.

Whether at the local, national, or international level, Baha'i elections follow a similar process that seeks to choose spiritually minded leaders from the entire body of believers in the area. Bahá'ís elect members to councils which are vested with the authority of the community. The members of these councils, themselves, have no individual authority. When duly constituted, however, and specifically when deciding matters as a body, they act as the head of the community.

Local, national and international governing bodies

Each year on the eve of April 21 – the First day of the ‘Ridván Festival’ that marks the declaration by Bahá'u'lláh of His mission – Bahá'ís in communities across the country gather to elect Local Spiritual Assemblies.

While the Local Spiritual Assembly is elected by all adult community members, the National Spiritual Assembly is elected by delegates, who, in turn, are chosen in ‘Unit Conventions’. All adult Bahá'ís are eligible to vote in Unit Conventions, and so the connection between the individual and his or her national governing body remains quite close. In choosing members of the National Spiritual Assembly, delegates may vote for any adult Baha'i residing in the country – preserving the freedom of choice that is fundamental to the Baha'i electoral system.

The annual National Convention, held during the 12-day ‘Festival of Ridván’, which commemorates Baha’u'llah’s proclaiming in 1863 His mission as God’s Messenger for this age, is when delegates come together to elect the nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

This year, the National Convention for Seychelles took place from April 30 to May 2 at national Baha'i centre in Victoria. Delegates from Mahe, Praslin and La Digue had the opportunity to discuss many issues, including the annual message of the ‘Universal House of Justice’ (Baha’i international governing body) to the Baha’is of the world. Although the convention is a time to learn and share experiences, it’s also a time for fellowship, it’s a time for spiritual renewal.

Every five years, members of all National Spiritual Assemblies are called to vote at an international convention at the Bahá'í world centre in Haifa, Israel for members of the ‘Universal House of Justice’. The Universal House of Justice, ordained by Bahá'u'lláh as the legislative authority in the Bahá'í faith, came into existence in 1963. It is a nine-member body elected at five-year intervals by the entire membership of the national governing institutions of the Bahá'í world.

The House of Justice directs the spiritual and administrative affairs of the Bahá'í international community. Endowed by Bahá'u'lláh with the authority to legislate on all matters not specifically laid down in the Bahá'í scriptures, the House of Justice is the institution that keeps the Bahá'í community abreast of an ever-changing world.

No clergy in the Baha’i faith

There is no class of ecclesiastics or clergy in the Bahá'í faith. Instead, Bahá'ís use an administrative framework provided by Bahá’u’lláh. In His writings, He detailed a system of elected lay councils at the local, national and international levels to oversee the faith. Bahá'ís 21 and older enjoy the right to vote in Bahá'í elections and serve as members of Bahá'í administrative institutions.

Just as Local Spiritual Assemblies oversee Baha'i community affairs within a municipal locality, National Spiritual Assemblies are charged with guiding and coordinating Bahá'í activities within a given country. The activities range from the adoption of nationwide teaching plans to the initiation of large-scale social and economic development projects; from overseeing relations with their respective national governments to coordinating with other religious groups and nongovernmental organisations.

All activities are driven by a high degree of individual initiative supported and guided by various institutions. The primary concern of the elected institutions is to develop the capacity of the Bahá'í community to enable growing numbers of people, in their locality, to take control of their own material, spiritual and intellectual development.

While the Bahá'í electoral model is practiced as yet in relatively small communities around the world, the fact that it is global and has been carried out in regions of the world unfamiliar with longstanding democratic traditions shows just how promising it is. Worldwide, there are 189 National Spiritual Assemblies and approximately 12,000 local Spiritual Assemblies.

Contributed by the Baha’i faith – Seychelles