The financial accountability principles discussed in Chapter 7 of this Topic Area also apply to an EMB’s general accountability. Transparency and integrity are especially important. Transparency increases public trust and confidence in the EMB’s operations, and may protect it against unfounded allegations.
An EMB needs to ensure that it has sufficient integrity controls on the information it releases publicly under its accountability responsibilities. Knowingly or unknowingly disseminating incorrect or unreliable information diminishes the credibility of and public trust in the EMB. How fully can the public trust an EMB’s election results if it has been found to have provided unreliable information on other critical issues?
