Portland/Vancouver Metro Baha'i Community » elections

Portland area Baha’is elect Local Spiritual Assemblies

SaraD — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 20:25:15 +0000

The Baha’is in each city and suburb of the Portland metro area recently elected their nine-member governing councils or Local Spiritual Assemblies for 2011-2012. These Local Spiritual Assemblies were elected in:

Tellers announce the election results for the Local Spiritual Assembly of Portland.

The next generation is getting excited about the elections too.

Aloha
Beaverton
Camas
Clackamas County NW
Clark County 1
Clark County 2
Columbia County
Forest Grove
Gladstone
Gresham
Hillsboro
Lake Oswego
McMinnville
Milwaukie
Multnomah County East
Newberg
Oregon City
Portland
Tigard
Tualatin
Vancouver
Washington County North
Washington County South
Washougal
West Linn
Yamhill County

The Baha’i community has been active in the Portland area since 1906. Local Assemblies minister to the needs of the community, organizing classes for the spiritual education of children, adult study circles, devotional programs, Holy Day observances and service projects. They also conduct Baha’i marriages, pray for the members of the community and provide spiritual counseling on matters brought to the Assembly.

In Baha’i communities around the world, local and national Spiritual Assemblies are elected during the most holy period for members of the Baha’i Faith, the Festival of Ridvan, celebrated from April 20 to May 2.

The Founder of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u'llah (1817-1892), taught that in an age of universal education, there was no longer a need for a special class of clergy. Instead, he provided a framework for administering the affairs of the Faith through elected councils at the local, national and international levels. All Baha’i elections occur through secret ballot, without candidacies, nominations or campaigning. See ‘Spiritual elections’ not an oxymoron for Baha’is. There are approximately 11,000 Baha’i Local Spiritual Assemblies around the world, elected each year from among the adult believers in every locality where at least nine Baha’is reside.

The Baha’i Faith, founded in Persia in 1844, is the youngest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions and is one of the fastest-growing, with approximately 170,000 members throughout the United States and more than five million in the world.

Baha’is view the world’s major religions as part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity. Major Baha’i tenets include the oneness of humanity, equality of men and women, eradication of prejudice, harmony of science and religion, universal education and world peace. To learn more about the Baha’i Faith in America, visit www.bahai.us.

The Festival of Ridvan — the most sacred Baha’i holiday

SaraD — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:18:45 +0000

Some two kilometers southeast of the historic city of Acre, the Ridvan Garden - created for Baha'u'llah - has been restored to its original island setting. The centerpiece is a fountain from which water is conveyed into a canal that runs past the garden.

The Festival of Ridvan (Riz-wahn), celebrated from April 21 to May 2, commemorates the anniversary of Baha’u’llah’s declaration in 1863 that He was the Promised One of all earlier religions.

The Ridvan period is bittersweet, as Baha’u’llah was soon to be exiled to Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). Baha’u’llah spent 12 days in a garden in Baghdad visiting with His followers. He named the garden Ridvan, which means “Paradise” or “good pleasure” in Arabic.

When He entered the garden, Baha’u'llah proclaimed the Festival of Ridvan and made three announcements: First, He forbade His followers to fight to advance or defend the Faith (religious war had been permitted under past religions); second, He declared there would not be another prophet for another 1,000 years; and third, He proclaimed that all the names of God were inherent in all things at that moment.

Baha’u'llah’s arrival in Ridvan and his announcement of the Festival of Ridvan mark the moment when the essence of the Baha’i Faith was expressed.

Baha’is suspend work on the holiest days of Ridvan—the first, ninth and 12^th. These mark the day of Baha’u’llah’s arrival in the garden, the arrival of His family and the group’s departure for Constantinople.

The Most Great Festival is, indeed, the King of Festivals. Call ye to mind, O people, the bounty which God hath conferred upon you. Ye were sunk in slumber, and lo! He aroused you by the reviving breezes of His Revelation, and made known unto you His manifest and undeviating Path. — Baha’u'llah

Throughout Ridvan, Baha’is gather for devotions and attend social gatherings. In Texas, Perry Productions has been staging a Ridvan pageant for the last 10 years.

At Ridvan, Baha’is annually elect members of local and national administrative bodies, called Spiritual Assemblies. Baha’u’llah taught that in an age of universal education, there was no longer a need for a special class of clergy. Instead, he provided a framework for administering the affairs of the Faith through a system of elected councils at the local, national and international levels. All Baha’i elections occur through secret ballot and plurality vote, without candidacies, nominations or campaigning.

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Reprinted with permission from the Baha’is of the United States
(see U.S. Baha’i News)

A New Approach to Governance – Baha’i Unit Convention Held in Portland

PamelaJ — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:31:27 +0000

Roger Nesbit speaks at Baha'i Unit Convention

Nearly 100 Bahá’ís from Portland and across Multnomah County came together in the afternoon on Sunday, October 4 at the Portland Bahá’í Center in North Portland for an annual meeting. At this meeting, local Bahá’ís had the opportunity to visit, pray and consult about the affairs of their community including the intensive plans of growth in their communities. The main purpose of the convention was to elect a delegate to the National Bahá’í Convention which will be held in April 2010. At that time, the delegate from Portland will join 170 other delegates from across the continental United States to deliberate on the affairs of the national community and carry out their sacred duty in electing the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States.

As the Baha’i Faith has no clergy, the National Spiritual Assembly — and assemblies elected at the local, regional and international levels — are charged, according to Baha’i Writings, with the responsibility of being “channels of divine guidance, planners of the teaching work, developers of human resources, builders of communities, and loving shepherds of the multitudes.”

The Universal House of Justice, the supreme elected body that leads the Bahá’í community worldwide states that people everywhere are yearning for institutions that will “dispense justice, dispel oppression and foster an enduring unity between the disparate elements of society.”

To those who equate elections with hard-ball partisan politics, the Baha’i Faith’s system of spiritual administration may seem like an oxymoron. These skeptics might well examine how the Baha’i electoral system removes partisanship from the democratic process, thus increasing the likelihood that those elected are not bound by narrow interests, but rather seek the well being of the entire human race.

At a time when trust in government is eroding everywhere in the world, and when the electoral process in many nations has become discredited because of endemic corruption, this new model of governance serves as an antidote to apathy, alienation and despair.

“Baha’i elections are unique and offer a remarkable spiritually uplifting experience,” says Dr. Nas Rassekh, a former delegate and an emeritus professor of history at Lewis & Clark College. “There’s no campaigning, no nominations, no electioneering and no issue platforms.”

When platforms drive elections, Rassekh says, “it’s easy for candidates to twist facts and act in ways that aren’t fair. And when elections are based on nominations and campaign speeches, it soon includes attempts to undermine support for rival candidates and question their integrity and humanity.”

So, without campaigning, nominations or election platforms, how do Baha’i delegates know whom to vote for? First, the Baha’i writings say that Delegates may vote for any adult member of the Baha’i community. In short, if one is qualified to vote, one is eligible to be elected.

In addition, guidelines have been provided in the Baha’i Writings to assist the voters in making an informed decision. Before Baha’i elections the members of the Faith may discuss how they ought to vote but they must do so without referring to specific individuals.

Arash Abizadeh, assistant professor of political science at McGill University in Canada, notes four distinct types of criteria mentioned in the Baha’i writings that voters should consider when casting their ballots in Baha’i elections:

Qualifications of individual Assembly members. Voters should consider individuals that possess the qualities of “unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience.”
The collective makeup of the Assembly as a whole. Voters should consider qualities that reflect the makeup of the Assembly as a whole, such as the diversity of its membership. For instance, they should keep in mind advice from the Universal House of Justice to consider age distribution and ethnic and gender diversity in the Assembly.
Changes in the individual makeup of the Assembly. No matter how excellent selections from a prior year may have been, it is always important for the voters to be on the lookout for making improvements to the Spiritual Assembly. Shoghi Effendi reminds voters who notice shortcomings in members of the Assembly that the annual election gives “the community a good opportunity to remedy any defect or imperfection from which the Assembly may suffer as a result of the actions of its members.”
Changes in the collective makeup of the Assembly over time. Shoghi Effendi also suggested that the collective quality of the Assembly should change and improve over time. Thus, beyond specific improvements in the individual makeup of the Assembly, there should be some turnover as well.

This past Sunday, after reflecting privately on the qualities of those they have in mind to elect, Bahá’ís attending the Unit Convention in Portland voted in silence in an atmosphere of prayer and meditation. Results were announced later in the afternoon with Mr. Roger Nesbit being elected as the Unit’s delegate to this year’s national convention.

Roger is a long time resident of Portland, having attended Lewis & Clark School of Law in the 1970’s. Roger retired this year after many years of service to the Department of the Interior. He and his wife live in Northeast Portland and he serves on the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Portland.

Similar unit conventions were held throughout the Portland-metro area and Oregon to elect delegates who will join the delegate from Portland in April 2010.

U.S. Baha’i National Convention began Thursday, April 23

SaraD — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:39:42 +0000

The Welcome Wall at the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, IL.

The second century of U.S. Baha’i National Conventions began Thursday, April 23, as the 101st annual convocation opened at the House of Worship for the North American Continent in Wilmette, Ill.

National Convention is the continuation of a process that began last October when Baha’is at Unit Conventions throughout the nation elected delegates; 171 in total.

Before the convention officially began, the delegates gathered at their hotel to study materials on the sacred purpose of the convention, the responsibility of the delegates and the role of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

The opening session began late Thursday afternoon at the Temple, gleaming on the shores of Lake Michigan. The delegates’ first surprise upon arriving was to encounter some of the fruits of the ongoing upgrades to the Temple grounds.

Immediately in sight: a concrete and stone “welcome wall” at the bottom of the first set of stairs, proclaiming “The Bahá’í House of Worship” in chiseled-look inset letters.

Then, after mounting those first steps, a stunning new reflecting pool comes into view. At the far end one can see the entry down into the refurbished Foundation Hall and Visitors Center level. Straight ahead, restoration work is still underway.

Opening devotions were held upstairs in the Auditorium of the Temple before delegates and guests streamed downstairs to Foundation Hall to hear Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, chair of the National Assembly, call the Convention to order with “most joyous Ridvan greetings.”

First orders of business: the Convention purpose was read, along with by-laws of the National Assembly pertaining to Convention; delegates were seated in a roll call; the consultation and election result protocols were adopted; and the Convention agenda was approved.

2009 National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States

For the next three days, the delegates heard reports from the Secretary General of the National Spiritual Assembly, Kenneth Bowers, and national Treasurer, William Roberts; participated in consultation with a focus on the growth of the American Baha’i community; and on Saturday morning, the delegates prayerfully elected the nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States.

On Saturday evening, the newly elected members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States were introduced to the convention delegates and guests. Judge Dorothy Nelson had been elected to serve as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly for the past 42 years and resigned from service on the Assembly this year.

The newly elected members of the National Spiritual Assembly are, from left to right: Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, Kenneth Bowers, David Young, WIlliam Roberts, Juana Conrad, Valerie Dana, Muin Afnani, Erica Toussaint and Robert Henderson.

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Reprinted with permission from the Baha’is of the United States
(see U.S. Baha’i News)

Bahá’í annual election featured on Chicago Public Radio

SaraD — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:21:20 +0000

Chicago Public Radio’s Eight Forty-Eight program featured a story June 3, 2008 on the unique Bahá’í election process, through which the Faith’s national governing body is elected each year without nominations, campaigning or electioneering.

“Though the season of primaries is almost behind us,” said Eight Forty-Eight co-host Gabriel Spitzer, “November is nearly half a year away and we could still be in for a lot more partisan politics and mudslinging. If it seems like there ought to be a more civil way to run democratic elections, members of the Bahá’í faith say that’s because there is. And once a year, they refine a new democratic process in that big white temple in north suburban Wilmette. The 100th Bahá’í National Convention was recently held there. Eight Forty-Eight contributor Jennifer Brandel watched the process.” Listen to the full story here.

When it comes to elections, Baha’is decline party invitation

SaraD — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:56:09 +0000

Baha’is, like other U.S. citizens, will cast their vote in the upcoming general election, but they won’t be campaigning or promoting particular candidates for office.

Partisan politics is not permitted in the Baha’i Faith, whose members strive to contribute to building a unified society in which problems are peacefully resolved through consultation, a non-adversarial form of collective decision-making.

In accordance with Baha’u’llah’s exhortation to “be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in,” Baha’is are encouraged to be informed of the issues of the day and to participate in elections where they are not required to declare a party affiliation.

Their choice of candidate, however, is based not on partisan considerations, but on their personal judgment of the character and merits of the individuals running for office and their capacity to make the most valuable contribution to society.

The partisan political process divides people, says Edward Price, a longtime Baha’i who lives in the Chicago area. “And since the Baha’i Faith is all about creating unity,” he says, “our Teachings tell us to remain aloof from partisanship.”

At times Baha’is do take positions on public policy issues or support legislation when a clear spiritual principle is at stake, for example in civil and human rights issues. Indeed, over the years Baha’is have been at the forefront of social action on issues such as racial equality, advancement of women and stewardship of the earth.

Phyllis Edgerly Ring, columnist on UPI's Religion and Spirituality forum

Baha’is further promote the Faith’s core principle of unity by voting in Baha’i elections, which are “sacred events, clothed in prayer, nurtured in reflection, conducted in quiet,” writes Phyllis Edgerly Ring, a New Hampshire Baha’i, in her latest weekly column on UPI’s Religion and Spirituality forum.

There is no clergy in the Baha’i Faith and the affairs of the community are administered through nine-member elected governing bodies at the local, national and international levels.

In these elections, there’s no campaigning and no nominations. Rather, the individual voter, in the privacy of his own mind and unfettered by any external influences, votes for the individuals he or she thinks is best suited to serve on an elected Baha’i governing body.

Being elected to a Baha’i institution is not so much an opportunity to govern as it is to serve. Being elected is a sacred duty. As the Universal House of Justice says, “We must not allow ourselves to forget the continuing, appalling burden of suffering under which millions of human beings are always groaning — a burden which they have borne for century upon century and which it is the mission of Baha’u’llah to lift at last.

“The principal cause of this suffering, which one can witness wherever one turns, is the corruption of human morals and the prevalence of prejudice, suspicion, hatred, untrustworthiness, selfishness and tyranny among men.

“It is not merely material well being that people need. What they desperately need is to know how to live their lives — they need to know who they are, to what purpose they exist, and how they should act toward one another.

“And once they know the answers to these questions they need to be helped to gradually apply these answers to everyday behavior.

“It is to the solution of this basic problem of humanity that Baha’is are encouraged to direct the greater part of their energy and resources.”

“Of course, no Baha’i would ever claim to live up to these ideals perfectly,” Ms. Ring concedes, “but in the 30 years I’ve been privileged to experience the Baha’i election process, I’ve seen its real viability as a model of governance truly of the people, by the people and for the people.”

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Reprinted with permission from the Baha’is of the United States (see January 2008 issue of U.S. Baha’i News)

Baha’i elections – individual impressions

SaraD — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:55:23 +0000

There is no clergy in the Baha'i Faith. Baha'is elect their leadership by secret ballot, in a distinctive system without campaigning or nominations. Shown here are delegates from around the world voting in 1998 to elect the Universal House of Justice, the Baha'i Faith's supreme governing council. © Bahá’í International Community

“One of the most inspiring and impressive features of Baha’i elections to me is the serene, uplifting and unified spirit that permeates the process. When I cast my vote for my Local Spiritual Assembly, it is in a quiet, reverent atmosphere. There is no campaigning or effort to influence my vote; quite the opposite–I am left in the privacy of my conscience to make the best decision I can. And then, in the end, the specific individuals who are elected–rarely the exact nine individuals for whom a person has cast his or her vote–are wholeheartedly supported and the result is celebrated by all those who have participated. This focus on process, and a certain serene faith that if the process is permeated by spirituality and integrity the result will be inspired, is always very moving to me.”

~ Ramine Yazhari

“I was a Baha’i for many years before I really understood the power of the election process. I was on an assembly (the nine people in a location such as a town who organize activities and help when people have problems). Overall it was a great group and we were all friends. But I had to confess that one person just got on my nerves. It was all little stuff, like an attention to detail that bordered on obsession and a tendency to talk too slowly for this fast talking New England girl.

“When our next election came up, I looked at all the names of the adult Baha’is in our community and realized that the first name on my ballot would be for the person who irritated me the most. I also realized that this person brought unique and necessary qualities to the group and actually balanced out the quick nature of some of the rest of us. The emphasis on detail was necessary in our tasks.

Whether at the local, regional, 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. Shown here is a Baha'i election in process in Panama. © Bahá’í International Community

“On a personal level, I needed to find a way to look to this person’s strengths and to even see that some of the strengths were things that I had previously considered weaknesses. Luckily we were both elected to the assembly and I found myself really learning from the experience. I feel that the prayerful and respectful tone of Baha’i elections made it possible for me to see it all in this light.”

~ Claire Levesque

“In 1989, I spent four months in the Western Province of Kenya, East Africa. At election time, I assisted with the process of election the Spiritual Assembly in the little village of Namawanga, where there were about forty Baha’is. I helped the secretary of the assembly prepare several copies of a list that contained all names of the adults eligible to serve on their local assembly. I was asked to be the teller, the official ballot counter.

“There was no campaigning, of course. The Baha’is in this village organized their election by first appointing several youth to run around the village to the Baha’i homes. Each youth had a copy of the list of eligible Baha’is. At the homes they visited to collect ballots, they either waited while the voter listed their choice of nine members – or they left a ballot that the person could deliver themselves. Eventually all ballots were brought to the Center. Meanwhile, it was getting dark at the small Baha’i Center. We set up a table with a lantern outdoors and collected the ballots.

Delegates and observers at the 2005 national convention of the Baha'is of the United States pictured outside the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. © Bahá’í International Community

“In a country that, at the time, could not vote by secret ballot in their government elections, it struck me how important this was for them. The pattern for Baha’i elections is such a stark contrast. In civic elections, voters had to stand in line for a long time and give their vote verbally in front of an incumbent party representative. In Baha’i elections we vote by secret ballot, preserving each person’s freedom to vote as he or she chooses.

“I recall being shocked that the Baha’is wanted to stand around me as I read the ballots and counted the votes as they came in.

“They watched the results as they were tallied. This was an extreme form of accountability for me, the ballot counter. I also recall that the same person might be named differently by different people, and I needed help knowing who was whom. The women sometimes used their husband’s name, and sometimes retained their maiden name.

“At the end, the chairman read the final results, and everyone applauded and seemed happy.

“Given the current troubles in Kenya, including killings when there is a disputed national election, I often think about the pattern of perfection used by these precious Baha’is who lived in a poor agricultural region where few even had electricity.”

~ Julie Swan