ELECTION WATCHDOGS 5/30/17 11:29 AM the presence of party agents and duly accredited observers” (Inter-Parliamentary Union 1994). This chapter is focused on upwards accountability to the international community, and will therefore focus mainly on the role and rights of international observer missions in a post-election audit. However, similar arguments can be made for the rights and responsibilities of domestic observers and party agents. Inviting international observers to observe an electoral audit is a best practice in emerging democracies. The Declaration of Principles highlights a number of specific principles that will enable observation to serve as a vehicle for transparency and accountability, including that: (1) observers must be granted access to key locations where electoral events take place, including electoral adjudication and complaint mechanisms; (2) representatives of election observation missions must be allowed to move around freely and access relevant documents and information related to their mandate; and (3) observers should receive formal accreditation from the relevant authority (The United Nations 2005). There are a number of possible barriers to the integrity and transparency of audit processes, discussed throughout this chapter, that also impede the effective participation of international observers. These include insufficient procedural clarity, poorly enforced or non-existent training requirements, and logistical and other impediments to ensuring the chain of custody of sensitive materials. A slow accreditation process can also be an obstacle for getting external stakeholders involved in the audit. The procedure for accreditation should therefore take into consideration any time and material limitations and the start-up timeline for the audit. For the sake of promoting accountability and to avoid confusion regarding reporting and evaluation of the process, all stakeholders should have a clear and comprehensive understanding of how the audit will be administered. Observers cannot do their work effectively if there is no point of reference for assessment. Adjudication decisions and changes to the process should be clearly communicated to all stakeholders to reduce confusion and consequent setbacks. Transparency during the movement of sensitive election material is also imperative to an audit’s credibility (ACE Project. 2016). External stakeholders should be permitted access to every step of the audit process, including transit and storage of evidence. Depending on the scope of the audit, an EMB may have the audit officials travel to multiple locations or have all the ballot boxes transported to a central location. Audit managers should consider the stakeholders that should be present and their ability to access the locations where audits are to be performed. At a minimum, each site will need to have sufficient space for auditors, observers, and the ballot boxes; adequate security; and a relatively clean, comfortable environment. 10