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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
ArgentiniëArgentiniëPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BelarusBelarusPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BoliviaBoliviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosnië en HerzegovinaBosnië en HerzegovinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BraziliëBraziliëElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BulgarijeBulgarijeMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
CanadaCanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
DuitslandDuitslandPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
EcuadorEcuadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FijiFijiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipijnenFilipijnenElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
FrankrijkFrankrijkPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GeorgiëGeorgiëMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaïtiHaïtiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HongarijeHongarijePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
IndiaIndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndonesiëIndonesiëPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IsraëlIsraëlPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
KeniaKeniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LetlandLetlandPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LitouwenLitouwenPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokkoMarokkoPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MexicoMexicoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldaviëMoldaviëPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MozambiqueMozambiquePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NicaraguaNicaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
Nieuw-ZeelandNieuw-ZeelandPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
NigeriaNigeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
OekraïneOekraïnePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
OostenrijkOostenrijkPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PolenPolenPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RoemeniëRoemeniëPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RuslandRuslandMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
ServiëServiëPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SlowakijeSlowakijePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
The GambiaThe GambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Verenigd KoninkrijkVerenigd KoninkrijkPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
Verenigde StatenVerenigde StatenMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
ZambiaZambiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
Zuid-AfrikaZuid-AfrikaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Zuid-KoreaZuid-KoreaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Zuid-SoedanZuid-SoedanPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
ZwedenZwedenPaperJudicial 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”.