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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
BoliviaBoliviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
BulgariaBulgariaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
FijiFijiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
HungaryHungaryPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
IndiaIndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MozambiqueMozambiquePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NicaraguaNicaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NigeriaNigeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PhilippinesPhilippinesElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
The GambiaThe GambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
United KingdomUnited KingdomPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
United StatesUnited StatesMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
ავსტრიაავსტრიაPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
არგენტინაარგენტინაPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ახალი ზელანდიაახალი ზელანდიაPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
ბელარუსიბელარუსიPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
ბოსნია და ჰერცეგოვინაბოსნია და ჰერცეგოვინაPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
ბრაზილიაბრაზილიაElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
გერმანიაგერმანიაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
გვატემალაგვატემალაPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ეკვადორიეკვადორიPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ვენესუელავენესუელაElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ზამბიაზამბიაPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
თურქეთითურქეთიPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
ინდონეზიაინდონეზიაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
ისრაელიისრაელიPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
კაბო-ვერდეკაბო-ვერდეPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
კანადაკანადაPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
კენიაკენიაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ლატვიალატვიაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
ლიტვალიტვაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
მაროკომაროკოPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
მექსიკამექსიკაPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
მოლდოვამოლდოვაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
პოლონეთიპოლონეთიPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
რუმინეთირუმინეთიPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
რუსეთირუსეთიMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
სამხრეთ აფრიკასამხრეთ აფრიკაPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
სამხრეთ კორეასამხრეთ კორეაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
სამხრეთ სუდანისამხრეთ სუდანიPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
საფრანგეთისაფრანგეთიPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
საქართველოსაქართველოMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
სენეგალისენეგალიPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
სერბიასერბიაPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
სლოვაკეთისლოვაკეთიPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
უკრაინაუკრაინაPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
შვედეთიშვედეთიPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
ჰაიტიჰაიტიPaperAd 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”.