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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
A GâmbiaA GâmbiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
África do SulÁfrica do SulPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
AlemanhaAlemanhaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
ArgentinaArgentinaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ÁustriaÁustriaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
BelarusBelarusPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BolíviaBolíviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bósnia e HerzegovinaBósnia e HerzegovinaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrasilBrasilElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BulgáriaBulgáriaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
CanadáCanadáPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
Coreia do SulCoreia do SulPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
EquadorEquadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
EslováquiaEslováquiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
Estados UnidosEstados UnidosMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
FijiFijiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipinasFilipinasElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
FrançaFrançaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GeórgiaGeórgiaMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HungriaHungriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
ÍndiaÍndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndonésiaIndonésiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IsraelIsraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
LetôniaLetôniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LituâniaLituâniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarrocosMarrocosPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
MéxicoMéxicoPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoçambiqueMoçambiquePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
MoldovaMoldovaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
NicaráguaNicaráguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NigériaNigériaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
Nova ZelândiaNova ZelândiaPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
PaquistãoPaquistãoPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PolôniaPolôniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
QuêniaQuêniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Reino UnidoReino UnidoPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
RomêniaRomêniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RússiaRússiaMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SérviaSérviaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Sudão do SulSudão do SulPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
SuéciaSuéciaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UcrâniaUcrâniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ZâmbiaZâmbiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone

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”.