Bahá’í Member Resources

“The electors … must prayerfully and devotedly and after meditation and reflection elect faithful, sincere, experienced, capable and competent souls who are worthy of membership….”

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

We are happy to invite you to the annual meeting and election of the Local Spiritual Assembly being held in person at the Bahá’í Center on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 7:00 PM.
Voting is both a great privilege and a sacred duty. You are urged to make every effort to vote, whether in person, online, or by mail. Every Baha’i in good standing who is 18 years or older, living in Metropolitan Davidson County is eligible to vote. 

In considering who to vote for you will want to think of the nine individuals (age 21 and older) who can best combine the necessary qualities of “unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience.”*

Those who, for unavoidable reasons, cannot be present at the election in person, may mail their ballot, drop it off at the Baha’i Center, or vote via the Online Balloting System. Below are the two available options for voting. Please choose one option only. For a list of those eligible to serve in Nashville, please click here. Below are instructions for both voting options.

Online Voting Instructions (open April 5-20 until the tellers begin the ballot count)

Visit the Bahai.us login page at www.bahai.us/community/login. Once logged in, click on “ACCESS OBS.” OBS is also available under “TOOLS.”
OR
Log in directly to http://www.obsbahai.org/. You will be prompted to enter your Baha’i ID and password. Once you are logged in, the system will take you directly to OBS, and you will be ready to cast your ballot online. 
The online balloting system will be open from April 5 – April 20 to cast your ballot. All eligible voters with a Baha’i Online Service Account (BOSA) can cast an online ballot. 

Creating a Baha’i Online Services Account
  If you do not have a Baha’i Online Services Account (BOSA) and you want to vote online, simply click on the link that says “Create a Baha’i Online Services Account” or “Create Account.” 
If you don’t know your Baha’i ID #, please complete the request form at this link and someone will respond within 24 hours.

Paper Absentee Ballot Instructions

 You can either mail your paper ballot to the Bahá’í Center, drop it off at the Bahá’í Center’s private, locked postbox at the gate; or drop it off when the Center is open.
1. Write 9 names on a ballot.
2. Place the ballot in a smaller inner envelope with no marking that can identify the voter.
3. Seal the smaller envelope containing the ballot and place it in a larger outer envelope.
4. Write your name and address in the upper left corner of the outer envelope. Add your Baha’i ID number next to your name if you know it.
5. Address the outer envelope to: Nashville Bahá’í Center, 1556 Bell Road, Nashville, TN 37211.

If you are mailing your ballot, we recommend that you do so by Saturday, April 15th. All votes received by the afternoon of Thursday, April 20, will be included in the count.

Please see instructions in Farsi below.

Loving regards,

The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Nashville   

THE NATURE OF BAHÁ’Í ELECTIONS
Quotations from the Writings of Shoghi Effendi 
  
“…I earnestly appeal to every one of you … to … endeavor to approach your task … with that purity of spirit that can alone obtain our Beloved’s most cherished desire. Let us recall His explicit and often repeated assurances that every Assembly elected in that rarefied atmosphere of selflessness and detachment is in truth appointed of God….” 
 
“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.”** 
 
“Beware, beware lest the foul odour of the parties and peoples … and their pernicious methods, such as intrigues, party politics and propaganda—practices which are abhorrent even in name—should ever reach the Bahá’í community, exert any influence whatsoever upon the friends, and thus bring all spirituality to naught. The friends should, through their devotion, love, loyalty and altruism, abolish these evil practices, not imitate them. It is only after the friends completely ignore and sanctify themselves from these evils, that the spirit of God can penetrate and operate in the body of humanity, and in the Bahá’í community.” * 
 
“The strength and progress of the Bahá’í community depend upon the election of pure, faithful and active souls.”** 
 
“I feel that reference to personalities before the election would give rise to misunderstanding and differences…. We should refrain from influencing the opinion of others….” 
 
“…the elector … is called upon to vote for none but those whom prayer and reflection have inspired him to uphold.” 
 
“The electors … must prayerfully and devotedly and after meditation and reflection elect faithful, sincere, experienced, capable and competent souls who are worthy of membership….”** 
 
“…the friends must wholeheartedly participate in the elections, in unity and amity, turning their hearts to God, detached from all things but Him, seeking His guidance and supplicating His aid and bounty.”* 
 
“If we but turn our gaze to the high qualifications of the members of Bahá’í Assemblies … we are filled with feelings of unworthiness and dismay, and would feel truly disheartened but for the comforting thought that if we rise to play nobly our part every deficiency in our lives will be more than compensated by the all-conquering spirit of His grace and power. Hence it is incumbent upon the chosen delegates to 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.” 

*Translations from Persian letters of Shoghi Effendi **Translations from Persian letters written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi