The electoral law, or internal EMB regulations, may require decisions on particular matters – such as issuing of subsidiary regulations, validation of election results, staff appointments, or decisions affecting stakeholders’ electoral rights – to be agreed in a plenary session of EMB members. Regular EMB member meetings also assist in developing agreed policy directions, reviewing EMB performance, and providing guidance on policies to EMB secretariat staff.

Whilst full-time EMB members may be available daily to provide direction to EMB secretariat staff, part-time members of EMBs are more likely to merely meet occasionally to deliberate on policies and activities which shape the EMB’s operations. Outside election periods, full-time membership EMBs may meet every week. Part-time membership EMBs usually meet less frequently, often monthly. During peak electoral event periods, more frequent meetings are usual: full-time EMBs may meet as often as daily. It is common for EMB member meeting minutes to be signed by both the chair and the secretary, and in some cases (especially of multiparty EMBs) by all members of the EMB, as a way of authenticating them.