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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
ArgentinienArgentinienPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BelarusBelarusPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BolivienBolivienPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosnien und HerzegowinaBosnien und HerzegowinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrasilienBrasilienElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BulgarienBulgarienMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
DeutschlandDeutschlandPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
EcuadorEcuadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FidschiFidschiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FrankreichFrankreichPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GambiaGambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
GeorgienGeorgienMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IndienIndienElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndonesienIndonesienPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IsraelIsraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
KanadaKanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KeniaKeniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LettlandLettlandPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LitauenLitauenPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokkoMarokkoPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MexikoMexikoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldauMoldauPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MosambikMosambikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NeuseelandNeuseelandPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
NicaraguaNicaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NigeriaNigeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
ÖsterreichÖsterreichPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PhilippinenPhilippinenElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
PolenPolenPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RumänienRumänienPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RusslandRusslandMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SambiaSambiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
SchwedenSchwedenPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SerbienSerbienPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SlowakeiSlowakeiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
SüdafrikaSüdafrikaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SüdkoreaSüdkoreaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
SüdsudanSüdsudanPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UkraineUkrainePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UngarnUngarnPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Vereinigte StaatenVereinigte StaatenMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
Vereinigtes KönigreichVereinigtes KönigreichPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted

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”.