Inevitably, in any form of election, worthy individuals fail
to be elected simply because they are not widely known. This is true in the
system that uses nominations and electioneering as it will be in the Bahá'í
system. However, this is no the point. Election to an Assembly, from a Bahá'í
point of view, is not a right that people are entitled to, or an honour to
which they should aspire; it is a duty and responsibility to which they may be
called. The purpose is that those who are elected to an Assembly should be the
most worthy for this service; this does not and cannot mean that all those who
are worthy will be elected.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated
16 November 1988 to the International Teaching Centre; included in a Memorandum
written by the Universal House of Justice; ‘The Compilation of Compilation,
Vol. III, Sanctity and Nature of Baha’i Elections’)
