"
Founded on a set of unique electoral and consultative principles that are democratic in spirit and method, the Bahá'í administrative order is organized around freely elected governing councils which operate at the local, national, and international levels. This hierarchy devolves decision-making to the lowest practicable level--thereby instituting a unique vehicle for grassroots participation in governance--while at the same time providing a level of coordination and authority that makes possible cooperation on a global scale. Bahá'u'lláh called these governing councils "Houses of Justice.""
Annually, Baha'is in a generally civic region (city, county, whatever the local area uses to organize areas) with at least nine adults hold an election for a Local Spiritual Assembly. Larger regions of Baha'is, whether in Assemblies or not, gather annually as well to elect delegates to participate in the election of the National Assembly of that country. Every 4 years, members of all the national assemblies vote for the members of the Universal House of Justice.
While the specific forms the regions take around the world differ, the general form of Local Assemblies and National Assemblies are universal wherever there are sufficient populations of Baha'is (which is approximately the same as whereever it is not illegal to be a Baha'i.) Thus it is that even in countries where the practical form of government is hardly democratic, in fact the first experience of voting takes place in Baha'i forums, hand in hand with principles that encourage addressing social ills like racism, sexism, and the like.
In addition to these forms there has been a development now applied in many places around the world - an elected form between the level of the Local Assembly and the National Assembly. In the United States this level is called Regional Councils - and here they are elected by the members of the Local Assemblies.
There are appointed positions in the administrative institutions of the Baha'i Faith but the decision making power is in the elected forms. No other forms are allowed within the rules of the Baha'i Faith today - elected institutions with dependent appointed positions.
At the same time, the Baha'i Faith has a highly defined Scripture. There is so much of it that there is little room for division without ignoring the rules and the spirit. So much of the original handwritting is preserved that there is no question of authenticity. Indeed, the only path to harm the process is to be apathetic, while the major work is to achieve what is intended.
