Compliance with the legislative framework, including electoral regulations, procedures, and manuals, is a prerequisite for the achievement of professionalism by an EMB. The term ‘professional electoral administrator’ implies a person with a range of skills beyond those associated with technical or management qualifications in a specific field.

In addition to these, a professional electoral administrator needs also:

a) an understanding of strategies for strengthening democratic development;

b) a commitment to the principles that are the foundation of electoral good practice; and

c) a strong commitment to high-quality electoral service to all stakeholders.

Specialist professional credentials and relevant management and technical experience assist EMB members and staff in becoming professional electoral administrators. As well as these skills, professional electoral administrators are committed to the principles of electoral good practice, which include:

a) Integrity, meaning the ability to act in a non-partisan and independent manner by not acting to benefit political interests and/or corruption, and by ensuring that breaches of the electoral law, rules and codes of conduct are followed;

b) Impartiality, meaning the ability to be fair and to afford stakeholders equitable and honest treatment or a ‘level playing field’ and the ability to treat all stakeholders in an even-handed, non-partisan manner;

c) Independence, meaning the ability to carry out the work without influence from or being under the control of an external force, such as the government or the ruling party;

d) Transparency, referring to the ability to be open and truthful in all dealings, except where openness will undermine the secret ballot or security;

e) Efficiency, meaning that funds for elections are used wisely, that procurement of election materials and development of programmes are made in a sustainable and cost-effective manner, and that EMB services are delivered efficiently;

f) Service mindedness, meaning that all stakeholders, and in particular voters, should enjoy high-quality services;

g) Accessibility, meaning available to stakeholders to provide timely information and access to EMB records; and

h) Professionalism, meaning the ability to be fair, effective, efficient, accurate, responsible, morally correct, and service-oriented.

No matter how great their commitment to their work, the bulk of members appointed to EMBs are not experienced in the full range of responsibilities associated with leading and managing electoral processes. Professional development for EMB members is as essential for attaining and maintaining high-quality EMB performance as is development of EMB secretariat staff.

An EMB’s capacity to perform all its electoral functions and responsibilities effectively depends very much on the capacities and performance of its secretariat staff. The capacities of EMB secretariat staff can be enhanced by implementing appropriate recruitment strategies and vigorous training and development programmes. Most of the issues faced will be similar for Independent, Governmental, and Mixed Models of EMBs, though they may manifest themselves in different ways.

Public concerns about the professionalism of an EMB can lead to calls for institutional reform. However, EMBs with a strong set of values can deliver elections whose results are accepted by stakeholders even though they are still in the process of developing professional staff, as, for example, in Yemen.