Skip to content

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
BelarusBelarusPaperNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedAny documentNoneUniversal
FijiFijiPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
FranceFrancePaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesMixedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
IndiaIndiaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedAny documentRestrictedNone
PakistanPakistanPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedNone
PhilippinesPhilippinesElectronic + paper trailMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedRestrictedUniversal
RomaniaRomaniaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
SlovakiaSlovakiaPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedRestricted
SwedenSwedenPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
TaiwanTaiwanPapernot recordedIndependent commissionYesnot recordedState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
TürkiyeTürkiyePaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal
VenezuelaVenezuelaElectronic + paper trailAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
АвстріяАвстріяPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalUniversal
АргентинаАргентинаPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
БолгаріяБолгаріяMixedJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentNoneRestricted
БолівіяБолівіяPaperNoneIndependent commissionYesYesMixednot recordedNoneRestricted
Боснія і ГерцеговинаБоснія і ГерцеговинаPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
БразиліяБразиліяElectronic onlyAd hocJudiciaryYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ГаїтіГаїтіPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ГамбіяГамбіяMixedAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
ГватемалаГватемалаPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ГрузіяГрузіяMixedMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ЕквадорЕквадорPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ЗамбіяЗамбіяPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
ІзраїльІзраїльPaperJudicial onlyJudiciaryYesNoAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ІндонезіяІндонезіяPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesState-initiatedPhoto IDnot recordedUniversal
Кабо-ВердеКабо-ВердеPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
КанадаКанадаPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesnot recordedMixedAny documentUniversalUniversal
КеніяКеніяPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
ЛатвіяЛатвіяPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
ЛитваЛитваPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
МалавіМалавіPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatednot recordedNoneNone
МароккоМароккоPaperJudicial onlyGovernmentYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
МексикаМексикаPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
МозамбікМозамбікPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
МолдоваМолдоваPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentnot recordedUniversal
НігеріяНігеріяPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
НікарагуаНікарагуаPaperNoneGovernmentNoNoState-initiatedPhoto IDNoneNone
НімеччинаНімеччинаPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentUniversalRestricted
Нова ЗеландіяНова ЗеландіяPaperMandatory recountIndependent commissionYesYesMixedNoneRestrictedRestricted
Південна АфрикаПівденна АфрикаPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Південна КореяПівденна КореяPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
Південний СуданПівденний СуданPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesVoter-initiatedAny documentNoneRestricted
ПольщаПольщаPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticAny documentRestrictedUniversal
РосіяРосіяMixedNoneGovernmentYesNoState-initiatedPhoto IDRestrictedUniversal
СенегалСенегалPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedPhoto IDNoneUniversal
СербіяСербіяPaperAd hocIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneRestricted
Сполучене КоролівствоСполучене КоролівствоPaperJudicial onlyMixedYesnot recordedVoter-initiatedPhoto IDVariesRestricted
Сполучені ШтатиСполучені ШтатиMixedVariesMixedYesYesVoter-initiatedVariesVariesUniversal
УгорщинаУгорщинаPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDRestrictedRestricted
УкраїнаУкраїнаPaperJudicial onlyIndependent commissionYesYesAutomaticPhoto IDNoneUniversal

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”.