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Comparative view

Election safeguards matrix

Which countries can actually check their own count — ballot type, audit requirement, who runs the election, who may observe it, and how people register and vote. One row per country profile, read from the same records as the profiles themselves.

Audit requirements are recorded for 50 of 51 country profiles. Blank cells are gaps in this database, not findings about the country.

Election safeguards matrix
CountryBallotAuditRun byDomestic observersInternational observersRegistrationVoter IDPostalFrom abroad
ArgentinaArgentinaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BěloruskoBěloruskoPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BolívieBolíviePaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosna a HercegovinaBosna a HercegovinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrazílieBrazílieElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BulharskoBulharskoMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
EkvádorEkvádorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FijiFijiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipínyFilipínyElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
FrancieFranciePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GambieGambieMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
GruzieGruzieMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IndieIndieElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndonésieIndonésiePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IzraelIzraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Jihoafrická republikaJihoafrická republikaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Jižní KoreaJižní KoreaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Jižní SúdánJižní SúdánPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
KanadaKanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KeňaKeňaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LitvaLitvaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LotyšskoLotyšskoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MaďarskoMaďarskoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokoMarokoPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MexikoMexikoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldavskoMoldavskoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MosambikMosambikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NěmeckoNěmeckoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
NigérieNigériePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NikaraguaNikaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
Nový ZélandNový ZélandPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
PákistánPákistánPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PolskoPolskoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RakouskoRakouskoPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
RumunskoRumunskoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RuskoRuskoMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SlovenskoSlovenskoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
Spojené královstvíSpojené královstvíPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
Spojené státySpojené státyMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
SrbskoSrbskoPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ŠvédskoŠvédskoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
Tchaj-wanTchaj-wanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UkrajinaUkrajinaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ZambieZambiePaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone

How to read this

These are formal rules, not an assessment of practice. A country with strong rules on paper may still administer an election badly, and a country with weak rules may run a clean one. Nothing here is scored or ranked: this database publishes no composite integrity score, because collapsing these very different columns into one number would hide exactly the distinctions the table exists to show.

“Not recorded” means this database has not yet established the rule — it is a gap in our coverage, not a finding that the safeguard is absent. A country that genuinely has no audit requirement is shown as “None”.