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
ArgentiinaArgentiinaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BoliviaBoliviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosnia ja HertsegovinaBosnia ja HertsegovinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrasiliaBrasiliaElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BulgariaBulgariaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
EcuadorEcuadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Etelä-AfrikkaEtelä-AfrikkaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Etelä-KoreaEtelä-KoreaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Etelä-SudanEtelä-SudanPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
FidžiFidžiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilippiinitFilippiinitElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
GambiaGambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
GeorgiaGeorgiaMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IndonesiaIndonesiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IntiaIntiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IsraelIsraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ItävaltaItävaltaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
KanadaKanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KeniaKeniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LatviaLatviaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LiettuaLiettuaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokkoMarokkoPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MeksikoMeksikoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldovaMoldovaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MosambikMosambikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NicaraguaNicaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NigeriaNigeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PuolaPuolaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RanskaRanskaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
RomaniaRomaniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RuotsiRuotsiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
SaksaSaksaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SerbiaSerbiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SlovakiaSlovakiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UkrainaUkrainaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UnkariUnkariPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Uusi-SeelantiUusi-SeelantiPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
Valko-VenäjäValko-VenäjäPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
VenäjäVenäjäMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Yhdistynyt kuningaskuntaYhdistynyt kuningaskuntaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
YhdysvallatYhdysvallatMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
ZambiaZambiaPaperAd 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”.