Issues of transparency and integrity are especially important for the general accountability of an EMB.

Transparency is a critical precondition in the EMB’s effort to be publicly accountable. Transparency on the part of the EMB contributes to increased public trust and confidence in the EMB’s operations, and may protect it against unfounded allegations or misrepresentations made for electioneering or other purposes. Apart from financial transparency, the EMB should maintain an open policy towards its stakeholders, reinforced by regular stakeholder consultations and information sharing. An EMB may foster public access to key publications and documents, such as performance reports and audited financial statements, business or strategic plans, laws and codes, either free of charge or on a cost-recovery basis. For example, the EMBs of Ghana, Palestine, and South Africa regularly consult political parties and other stakeholders on relevant issues. EMBs such as Georgia’s prepare reports after every major electoral event, which are disseminated widely to all stakeholders.

It is important for the EMB to be seen to have integrity in the way it exercises public accountability. An EMB’s information quality control mechanisms and internal cultures need to be sufficient to ensure that it is honest, reliable, and accurate in its public information and accountability. The EMB needs to ensure that it has sufficient integrity controls on information it publicly releases under its accountability responsibilities. An EMB may knowingly or unknowingly disseminate incorrect or unreliable information. It may happen unknowingly due to inadequate internal quality control mechanisms, or due to ignoring these mechanisms under pressure to provide fast responses to external demands for information. It may do so knowingly, in an attempt to buy time or save face when the EMB is confronted with allegations of malpractice or poor administration. Providing inaccurate or unreliable information diminishes the credibility of and public trust in the EMB. How fully can the public trust the EMB’s election results, if it has been found to have provided unreliable information on other critical issues?