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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
AustriaAustriaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
BoliviaBoliviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrazilBrazilElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
CanadaCanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
FijiFijiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
GeorgiaGeorgiaMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GermanyGermanyPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HungaryHungaryPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
IndiaIndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndonesiaIndonesiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
KenyaKenyaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LatviaLatviaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MexicoMexicoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MozambiqueMozambiquePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NicaraguaNicaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NigeriaNigeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PhilippinesPhilippinesElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
PolandPolandPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SlovakiaSlovakiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
South AfricaSouth AfricaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SwedenSwedenPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
The GambiaThe GambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UkraineUkrainePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
United KingdomUnited KingdomPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ZambiaZambiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
アメリカ合衆国アメリカ合衆国MixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
イスラエルイスラエルPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
エクアドルエクアドルPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
セルビアセルビアPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ニュージーランドニュージーランドPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
フランスフランスPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
ブルガリアブルガリアMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
ベラルーシベラルーシPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
マラウイマラウイPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
モルドバモルドバPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
モロッコモロッコPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
リトアニアリトアニアPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
ルーマニアルーマニアPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
ロシアロシアMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
南スーダン南スーダンPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
台湾台湾Papernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
韓国韓国PaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted

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”.