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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
BoliviaBoliviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
BrazilBrazilElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IndiaIndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
MozambiqueMozambiquePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
PolandPolandPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SlovakiaSlovakiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
South AfricaSouth AfricaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
South SudanSouth SudanPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
United KingdomUnited KingdomPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
ZambiaZambiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
آلمانآلمانPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
اتریشاتریشPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
اسرائیلاسرائیلPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
اکوادوراکوادورPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
اندونزیاندونزیPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
اوکرایناوکراینPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
ایالات متحدهایالات متحدهMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
بلاروسبلاروسPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
بلغاریابلغاریاMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
بوسنی و هرزگوینبوسنی و هرزگوینPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
پاکستانپاکستانPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
جورجیاجورجیاMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
روسیهروسیهMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
رومانیرومانیPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
سوئدسوئدPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
صربستانصربستانPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
فرانسهفرانسهPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
فیجیفیجیPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
فیلیپینفیلیپینElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
کاناداکاناداPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
کره جنوبیکره جنوبیPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
کنیاکنیاPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
گامبیاگامبیاMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
لاتویالاتویاPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
لیتوانیلیتوانیPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
مالاویمالاویPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
مجارستانمجارستانPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
مراکشمراکشPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
مکزیکمکزیکPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
مولداویمولداویPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
نیجریهنیجریهPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
نیکاراگوئهنیکاراگوئهPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
نیوزیلندنیوزیلندPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
هائیتیهائیتیPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ونزوئلاونزوئلاElectronic + 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”.