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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
Amerikas Savienotās ValstisAmerikas Savienotās ValstisMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
Apvienotā KaralisteApvienotā KaralistePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
ArgentīnaArgentīnaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
AustrijaAustrijaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
BaltkrievijaBaltkrievijaPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BolīvijaBolīvijaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosnija un HercegovinaBosnija un HercegovinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrazīlijaBrazīlijaElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BulgārijaBulgārijaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
DienvidāfrikaDienvidāfrikaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
DienvidkorejaDienvidkorejaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
DienvidsudānaDienvidsudānaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
EkvadoraEkvadoraPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FidžiFidžiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipīnasFilipīnasElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
FrancijaFrancijaPaperJudicial 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
IndonēzijaIndonēzijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IzraēlaIzraēlaPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
JaunzēlandeJaunzēlandePaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
KaboverdeKaboverdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
KanādaKanādaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KenyaKenyaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
KrievijaKrievijaMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LatvijaLatvijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LietuvaLietuvaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MalāvijaMalāvijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokaMarokaPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MeksikaMeksikaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldovaMoldovaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MozambikaMozambikaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NigērijaNigērijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NikaragvaNikaragvaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PolijaPolijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RumānijaRumānijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SenegālaSenegālaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SerbijaSerbijaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SlovākijaSlovākijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
TaivānaTaivānaPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UkrainaUkrainaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UngārijaUngārijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
VācijaVācijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
VenecuēlaVenecuēlaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ZambijaZambijaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
ZviedrijaZviedrijaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal

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”.