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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
Afrika e JugutAfrika e JugutPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ArgentinaArgentinaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
AustriaAustriaPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
BjellorusiaBjellorusiaPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
BoliviaBoliviaPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Bosnjë dhe HercegovinëBosnjë dhe HercegovinëPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
BrazilBrazilElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
BullgariaBullgariaMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
EkuadorEkuadorPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
FijiFijiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FilipinetFilipinetElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
FrancëFrancëPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
GjeorgjiaGjeorgjiaMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
GjermaniGjermaniPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
GuatemalaGuatemalaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HaitiHaitiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
HungariaHungariaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
IndiaIndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
IndoneziaIndoneziaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
IzraelIzraelPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
KanadaKanadaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
KeniaKeniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Koreja e JugutKoreja e JugutPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
LetoniaLetoniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
LituaniaLituaniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
MalawiMalawiPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
MarokMarokPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Mbretëria e BashkuarMbretëria e BashkuarPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
MeksikëMeksikëPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
MoldaviaMoldaviaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
MozambikMozambikPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
NigeriaNigeriaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
NikaraguaNikaraguaPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PoloniPoloniPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
RumaniaRumaniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
RusiaRusiaMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SenegalSenegalPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
SerbiSerbiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Shtetet e BashkuaraShtetet e BashkuaraMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
SllovakiaSllovakiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
Sudani i JugutSudani i JugutPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
SuediSuediPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
The GambiaThe GambiaMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
UkrainëUkrainëPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ZambiaZambiaPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
Zelanda e ReZelanda e RePaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted

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”.