Whether it is reported that a Baha'i has been "deprived of Baha'i membership," "deprived of voting rights," or "removed from Baha'i membership," it means the same thing, namely, that the individual is no longer a member of the local or national Baha'i community and therefore cannot attend or vote at Nineteen-Day Feasts, local annual elections, state conventions or any other gatherings intended for registered Baha'is only.
It does not mean, however, that such an individual is to be regarded as a Covenant-breaker. Only the Guardian, and now the Hands of the Faith, can declare an individual a Covenant-breaker, a condition which deprives him of his spiritual status. Since deprivation of membership and voting rights is an administrative action, it is always possible for one who has been deprived of these privileges to be restored to Baha'i membership when he has satisfied the National Spiritual Assembly that he has corrected the condition which led to the deprivation of these rights.
Unless an individual has been declared a Covenant-breaker, association with a former member of the Baha'i community is not forbidden.
-NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
(Baha'i News, U.S. Supplement, No. 27, Baha'i Year 117, May 1960)
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