Skip to content

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
Ameerika ÜhendriigidAmeerika ÜhendriigidMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
ArgentinaArgentinaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
AustriaAustriaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
BoliiviaBoliiviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosnia ja HertsegoviinaBosnia ja HertsegoviinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrasiiliaBrasiiliaElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BulgaariaBulgaariaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
EcuadorEcuadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FidžiFidžiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipiinidFilipiinidElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
GambiaGambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
GruusiaGruusiaMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IisraelIisraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IndiaIndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndoneesiaIndoneesiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
KanadaKanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KenyaKenyaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LätiLätiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LeeduLeeduPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
Lõuna-AafrikaLõuna-AafrikaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Lõuna-KoreaLõuna-KoreaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Lõuna-SudaanLõuna-SudaanPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokoMarokoPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MehhikoMehhikoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldovaMoldovaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MosambiikMosambiikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NicaraguaNicaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NigeeriaNigeeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PoolaPoolaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
PrantsusmaaPrantsusmaaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
RootsiRootsiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RumeeniaRumeeniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SaksamaaSaksamaaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
SambiaSambiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SerbiaSerbiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SlovakkiaSlovakkiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
ÜhendkuningriikÜhendkuningriikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
UkrainaUkrainaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UngariUngariPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Uus-MeremaaUus-MeremaaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
ValgeveneValgevenePaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
VenemaaVenemaaMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted

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”.