The overriding consideration in making appointments of EMB secretariat staff is a fair selection procedure that results in the selection of the most suitable candidates. The EMB may often delegate the power of appointment to the head of the secretariat or to one of its members, who then may delegate appointments of lower ranking officials to other secretariat staff. In a few instances, the power of appointment is vested solely in the head of the secretariat, as in Botswana. Often, the appointment of temporary staff for voter registration and polling station work is done by election committees, returning officers, or their equivalents, at electoral district or local level.

It is good practice for EMB staff to be required to sign the EMB’s code of conduct as a condition of appointment. It is also good practice to inform the public about senior appointments to the EMB and its secretariat, by placing this information on the EMB website, in newspapers, and in other media. To speed the integration of new staff into the EMB, it is important that the EMB develop a comprehensive orientation programme that is compulsory for all new staff within the first weeks of their appointment.

In Mexico, the EMB has full hiring and firing powers over its secretariat staff. The law requires that all management, supervisory, and technical officials of the EMB be members of the Professional Electoral Service, which is essentially a specialized civil service devoted entirely to electoral work. Citizens may have provisional access to the Professional Electoral Service by way of taking training courses, winning a contest for membership, or passing an examination. Full membership can only be obtained after passing required annual performance evaluations, undertaking further training, and having been involved in the management of an election. Initial recruits in 1992 were obtained through responses to a national media campaign.