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Local Bahá’í communities elect new Assemblies

by Marcia Veach, Springfield, Oregon

On April 21, 2026, Bahá’í communities around the world gathered for annual meetings to review the progress of the faith and to elect their local nine-member governing council, called the Local Spiritual Assembly (LSA).

In our area, Bahá’í communities in Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County East each elected an LSA for the coming year. These bodies guide, nurture, and administer the affairs of their community.

Bahá’í elections are conducted without nominations, campaigning, or debate. Instead, members get to know one another through community service, then vote by secret ballot after prayerful reflection.

How Bahá’í elections work

Bahá’ís vote annually for both local and national Spiritual Assemblies. Every five years delegates from around the world elect the Universal House of Justice, the faith’s international governing council.

All adult members in good standing may vote, and those age 21 and older are eligible to serve. Each ballot includes nine names, and the nine individuals with the most votes are elected. Only residents of a community may vote and serve on its assembly.

Ballots are counted by two or more volunteers, whose signatures confirm accuracy. Results are then submitted to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. The newly elected members meet to choose their chair, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer.

A nonpartisan, spiritual process

The election process is intentionally nonpolitical. There are no candidates, platforms, or endorsements. The Bahá’í teachings strongly discourage discussing the merits or faults of specific individuals. Instead, community members are encouraged to approach the vote in a spirit of devotion, seeking divine guidance and focusing on qualities such as integrity, loyalty, experience, and a well trained mind when considering whom to elect.

The Bahá’í writings emphasize that voters should be free from outside influence, including pressure from institutions or individuals. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, described the act of voting as a “sacred function” requiring detachment, independence, and purity of motive.

Purpose and significance

Bahá’ís view their administrative order as a model for nonpartisan, consultative governance. Elections are intended to foster unity and collective service rather than competition.

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“Now must those elected representatives arise to serve with spirituality and joy, with purity of intent, with strong attraction to the fragrances of the Almighty, and well supported by the Holy Spirit. Let them raise up the banner of guidance, and as soldiers of the Company on high, let them exalt God’s Word, spread abroad His sweet savours, educate the souls of men, and promote the Most Great Peace.”

–ʻAbdu’l-Bahá

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An inside view: Springfield’s election

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by Brooke Mossefin, Springfield, Oregon

In Springfield, a community of 41 registered Bahá’ís, online voting was open for more than two weeks before the worldwide election day. The Annual Meeting and election were combined into one in-person gathering at a local home.

At the meeting, after a potluck and prayers, those who had not already voted online completed and cast paper ballots. While votes were counted, attendees reviewed the local Assembly’s Annual Report, discussed the past year, and shared suggestions for the year ahead.