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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
ArgentynaArgentynaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
AustriaAustriaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
BiałoruśBiałoruśPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BoliwiaBoliwiaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bośnia i HercegowinaBośnia i HercegowinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrazyliaBrazyliaElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BułgariaBułgariaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
EkwadorEkwadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FidżiFidżiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipinyFilipinyElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
FrancjaFrancjaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GambiaGambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
GruzjaGruzjaMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GwatemalaGwatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
IndieIndieElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndonezjaIndonezjaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IzraelIzraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
KanadaKanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KeniaKeniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Korea PołudniowaKorea PołudniowaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
LitwaLitwaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
ŁotwaŁotwaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokoMarokoPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MeksykMeksykPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MołdawiaMołdawiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MozambikMozambikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NiemcyNiemcyPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
NigeriaNigeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NikaraguaNikaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
Nowa ZelandiaNowa ZelandiaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PolskaPolskaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
Republika Południowej AfrykiRepublika Południowej AfrykiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
RosjaRosjaMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RumuniaRumuniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SerbiaSerbiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
SłowacjaSłowacjaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
Stany ZjednoczoneStany ZjednoczoneMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
Sudan PołudniowySudan PołudniowyPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
SzwecjaSzwecjaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
TajwanTajwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UkrainaUkrainaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
WęgryWęgryPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
WenezuelaWenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ZambiaZambiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
Zjednoczone KrólestwoZjednoczone KrólestwoPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted

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”.