The vent should be open on an electric smoker so the electric smoker will have a boost in smoke flow and give the food a unique flavor.
Some people prefer to have the vent on the electric smoker half open and others prefer the vent to wide open.
You should at least have the vent on the electric smoker wide open when starting the cooking process.
Another reason to run wide open is so that you don't get condensation inside the box and have the dreaded "black rain" dripping on your cook.
It's not uncommon for woodchips to catch fire in electric smokers.
To prevent this from happening, consider soaking your woodchips before using them with your electric smoker.
You can also try using the foil pouch or smokebox method to prevent heat from directly contacting the wood chips.
Also small cuts of meat will undoubtedly cook faster than larger pieces in the electric smoker.
If need be, I recommend flipping smaller cuts only once, preferably halfway through cooking.
Larger cuts will need at least more than one flip to result in tender and juicy pieces of meat.