p a true social
consciousness and acquire a true sense of responsibility in matters
affecting the interests of the Cause. Baha'i community life thus makes it
a duty for every loyal and faithful believer to become an intelligent,
well-informed and responsible elector, and also gives him the opportunity
of raising himself to such a station. And since the practice of nomination
hinders the development of such qualities in the believer, and in addition
leads to corruption and partisanship, it has to be entirely discarded in
all Baha'i elections.

In connection with this, the Guardian wishes to draw your Assembly's
attention to the necessity of adopting the system of plurality voting
rather than that of absolute majority voting. For the latter, by making
the repetition of elections a necessity, causes, though indirectly, much
pressure to bear upon the person of the elector. The Baha'i elector, as
already emphasized, should be given full freedom in his choice. Anything,
therefore, which can in the least interfere with such a freedom should be
considered as disastrous and hence should be completely wiped out. In all
elections, it is always difficult, that more than a few individuals of
high position should obtain a majority of the votes of the electorate.
Most of those elected have a plurality of votes. To enforce the principle
of majority voting, therefore, it requires that the election be repeated
again and again and until all the members to be elected have obtained more
than half of the votes cast--a thing which becomes the more difficult when
it is a matter of electing an assembly of nine persons. So, repetition in
elections becomes inevitable. And such a repetition is in itself a
restriction imposed upon the freedom of the electorate. The only course,
therefore, is for every elector to write down the name of nine who he
thinks are most worthy. These nine who obtain the highest number of votes,
irrespective of the majority of the votes cast, will constitute the
members of the Assembly.

As to your last question whether the individual voter can conscientiously
vote for himself. The Guardian believes that not only the Baha'i voter has
the right, but is under the moral obligation to do so, in case he finds
himself worthy and capable of assuming the responsibilities and duties
imposed upon the members of every duly elected Baha'i assembly. It is for
every believer to carefully weigh his own merits and powers, and after a
thor