Whether it is more appropriate for EMB membership to be a full-time or part- time position depends on the electoral and administrative circumstances. In a permanent EMB, workloads may be high throughout the electoral cycle and require that EMB members are full time and thus readily available for speedy consultation and decisions. Full-time EMB members may be a good option where there are recurring activities, such as regular partial or by-elections, ongoing voter education and information, continuous voter registration or continuing electoral law reforms. In a temporary EMB, the electoral period workload may be such that full-time members are preferable. Full-time EMB membership may also be appropriate where there are doubts about the impartiality and skill levels of the EMB’s secretariat.
The benefit of having full-time EMB members must always be weighed against the cost of their services, when it may be years before the next election. There is also the risk of a potential conflict between senior members of the secretariat and full-time EMB members, especially when the former begin to interpret the full-time presence of the EMB members as interfering in the implementation of policy.
Some electoral legal frameworks, such as Indonesia’s, require that EMB appointments are full time. Countries such as Gambia appoint full-time EMB members even though it is not a legal requirement.
In countries where election dates are fixed and EMBs have limited responsibility between elections, it may be advisable to have part-time EMB members. In Ghana and South Sudan, EMB members are part time, while the chair and deputy are full time. It is also possible for members to serve part time in non- electoral periods and full time during electoral periods.
