Voting was unanimous, a 28-for-28 tally that left no doubt.

The UNC Board of Governors failed. The appointed body with responsibility for the planning, development and overall governance of the UNC System is wrong to allow confidentiality in chancellor searches, with no public disclosure of candidates.

That means not even the finalists.

Faculty, staff and student representatives can be brought in for interviews in the process, the new rules confirm, but those participating will have to sign agreements saying they won’t divulge the names of candidates.

The new guidelines, most of which are good, were decided last week. They are coming against the backdrop of a bad summer for the board when the search at Western Carolina imploded between a board member’s involvement and the recommendation of Margaret Spellings, the president of the UNC System.

The board’s squabbles with just-named chairman Harry Smith Jr. were also bad optics.

Before that, a search for East Carolina’s chancellor that ultimately landed Dr. Cecil Staton included the return of a $110,000 fee from a search consultant who questioned the process and the university’s expectations.

When the top position at any of the UNC System’s 17 campuses becomes vacant and is to be advertised, there will be significant interest at the outset of the search. There could be 100-plus names; we don’t advocate for sharing all of those.

As the search narrows, however, a finalist stage evolves. This is the climax of an exhaustive process, with background checks and other candidate information having been reviewed.

We agree with the American Association of University Professors, a national organization devoted to standards and procedures for higher education. Open visits to campus by these finalists “permit members of the campus community to participate in providing impressions, as well as to contribute to the candidate’s understanding of the culture of the institution.”

This process plays favorably both to the candidate and the campus community. Each doesn’t have to rely on what they are told; they see and experience it.

Not every secret search will turn out bad, such as the examples of Kennesaw State University in Georgia in 2016 and the University of Missouri in 2015. Protests for unproven educational leaders engulfed both schools, with Kennesaw having taken a candidate with controversial views on gay marriage and Missouri having chosen someone incapable of handling racist incidents.

Confidence in the process, by the Board of Governors and by the university communities, is paramount.

The new policies do not apply to searches already underway at Western Carolina and Elizabeth City State. But before another search is needed, the Board of Governors needs to make a change.

Finalists for these positions and the stakeholders should have a chance to get to know each other. Anything less is a mistake.