Where, for example, the only offense is that no Bahá'í
ceremony took place, it may be possible to contact the couple concerned and
arrange for the early celebration of the Bahá'í marriage, and thus avoid the
necessity of depriving them of their voting rights. But such a delay between
the ascertainment of the offense . . . and the imposition of sanctions should
not extend into months, and certainly not into years.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated May 20, 1971, to a National Spiritual
Assembly; Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities, NSA of USA, 1998 edition)
