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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
AustrijaAustrijaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
BjelarusBjelarusPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BolivijaBolivijaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosna i HercegovinaBosna i HercegovinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrazilBrazilElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BugarskaBugarskaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
EkvadorEkvadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FidžiFidžiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipiniFilipiniElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
FrancuskaFrancuskaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GambijaGambijaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
GruzijaGruzijaMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GvatemalaGvatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IndijaIndijaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndonezijaIndonezijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IzraelIzraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Južna AfrikaJužna AfrikaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Južna KorejaJužna KorejaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Južni SudanJužni SudanPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
KanadaKanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KenijaKenijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LatvijaLatvijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LitvaLitvaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MađarskaMađarskaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokoMarokoPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MeksikoMeksikoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldovaMoldovaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MozambikMozambikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NigerijaNigerijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NikaragvaNikaragvaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NjemačkaNjemačkaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
Novi ZelandNovi ZelandPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PoljskaPoljskaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RumunjskaRumunjskaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RusijaRusijaMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
Sjedinjene Američke DržaveSjedinjene Američke DržaveMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
SlovačkaSlovačkaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
SrbijaSrbijaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ŠvedskaŠvedskaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
Ujedinjeno KraljevstvoUjedinjeno KraljevstvoPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
UkrajinaUkrajinaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ZambijaZambijaPaperAd 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”.