This Code of Conduct is designed to assist election administrators by providing general guidelines for their work.

Election administrators face so many different circumstances and situations in their work that it would be impractical to attempt to make a firm rule for every possible situation. Rather, each person or organization using this Code of Conduct should apply it flexibly, together with good common sense, to meet the requirements of each particular situation.

The Code is divided into two parts. Part One includes a brief summary of the purpose, functions, objectives and fundamental ethical principles of election administration. Part Two includes an expanded statement of each of the fundamental ethical principles which form the basis of election administration, with an explanation and detailed guidelines to give effect to that principle.

This Code of Conduct was drafted in the first half of 1996. The process involved the retrieval, collation, analysis and synthesis of all the different codes and materials on this topic. This enabled the formulation and drafting of a universal set of minimum standards. Following distribution of the draft code, a lengthy and detailed process of consultation with election management bodies was undertaken over a 12-month period.