The organizers of the Sverdlovsk pre-election "lottery" are looking for a legal way to carry it out. Politician: “Elections are non-competitive, controlled, with a predictable result. Why you need a municipal filter

According to the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, the number of complaints received in the regional elections on September 10 is "negligible." The head of the Moscow City Electoral Committee (MGIK), Valentin Gorubnov, said he was ready to resign if Vladimir Zhirinovsky surrenders his mandate.

The CEC at the meeting summed up the results of the elections on September 10, which were held in 82 out of 85 regions. According to CEC secretary Maya Grishina, the hotline received a total of 1,637 appeals, of which more than a thousand were questions about obtaining information about voting. “On possible violations - 17%, 272 applications, we work them out together with the regional commissions,” said Mrs. Grishina. According to her, 39 appeals were received on the issue of counting votes. Appeals, "which bear signs of complaints about violations," the CEC received 472, of which 426 - from citizens and candidates, 30 - from State Duma deputies, 28 - from political parties. “If the facts are confirmed, more than administrative responsibility, in my opinion, does not threaten violators, but this should be decided by the competent authorities,” Maya Grishina explained.

The head of the CEC, Ella Pamfilova, noted that the number of complaints is "negligible." Nikolai Pletnev, chairman of the Belgorod Oblast Electoral Commission, where the gubernatorial elections were held, told the CEC representatives via video link that due to violations in the organization of home voting, it was decided to cancel voters' ballots in two polling stations. At one polling station, 111 ballots were declared invalid, at another - 92. In total, according to Mr. Pletnev, "less than 7%" of voters voted outside the polling station. "This is insignificant," said the chairman of the electoral committee. “As for insignificance, I would think,” Ella Pamfilova answered.

“In general, according to the CEC of the Russian Federation, the situation is pulling towards the abolition of elections (in these polling stations.- "b"). We recommend that you reconsider this situation, approach it more carefully, seriously. We have a problem in a number of cases with voting at home, now we will analyze this situation with even greater predilection,” said the head of the CEC.

Head of the Moscow State Institute of Cinematography Valentin Gorbunov reported on the work via video link. When asked by Ella Pamfilova if the IPCC had received any complaints that needed to be considered, Mr. Gorbunov said: “No, except for the political statements of the Yabloko party to dismiss me and Zhirinovsky’s demands to drive me with a broom, we have nothing.” “I once again answer Mr. Zhirinovsky: I am ready to resign if he gives up his deputy mandate,” promised Valentin Gorbunov. According to the MGIK, United Russia won first place in the municipal elections, winning 1,154 out of 1,502 seats, and Yabloko came second (176 seats).

Ella Pamfilova also asked Valery Chaynikov, chairman of the Sverdlovsk Regional Electoral Committee, to comment on the holding of lotteries after voting within the framework of the Ural Gems festival. As previously reported by Kommersant-Ural, at polling stations in 20 municipalities, after voting, voters received a card in which they had to enter their data and exchange it for the opportunity to draw a ticket from the lottery machine. “A festival event was held - a mass cultural program with drawings. We had three anonymous appeals on the site that voters were allegedly being bribed,” Mr. Chainikov explained. According to him, "nobody made any calls to vote for, against, promises." During the 12 hours of the festival, the organizers raffled off 14 out of 15 apartments, 65 cars, about 5,000 household appliances and 700,000 souvenirs. This was reported by the press service of the festival. The turnout in the Sverdlovsk region was 37.33%. In all 16 regions where gubernatorial elections were held, representatives of United Russia won. The lowest turnout was recorded in the Novgorod region (28.36%) and Karelia (29.23%). Most of the voters came to the election of the head of Mordovia - more than 82%.

https://www.site/2017-08-15/kak_stat_nablyudatelem_na_vyborah_10_sentyabrya

How to become an observer in the September 10 elections

On September 10, on a single voting day, elections will be held throughout Russia. Sverdlovskaya will host gubernatorial elections and elections of local dumas in 49 municipalities. The only way for an ordinary citizen to control how legal the voting process will be is to become an observer. Traditionally, training for observers is conducted by the Golos organization, it is on its training manuals that all parties rely in preparation. We tell you how to become an observer, what to learn and what to expect at the polling station.

Who is an observer?

An observer is a representative of a party or a registered candidate who is at the polling station throughout the election day and controls that the voting itself and the vote counting process take place legally. Any citizen of Russia who is 18 years old can become an observer. He must be sent to the polling station by the party or candidate, but it is not necessary to be a member of the party.

How to sign up?

The easiest way is to sign up through the Golos organization, which specializes in training observers and monitoring elections not only in Russia. The application can be left on the website of the organization or in a special questionnaire, which was published by the coordinator of the "Voice" in the Sverdlovsk region Alexander Grezev. After that, you will be contacted and invited to study.

After studying, a site will be determined for you according to your wishes and invited to pick up the documents. This year, according to Grezev, Golos will not train observers, but members of the PEC with the right to consultative vote - they have somewhat more powers. Difficult sites are usually sent to experienced observers who already know how the process goes.

In addition, you can contact a party close to you in ideology and ask to become an observer from it. Not all parties are ready to accept people "from the street", often large parties already have their own pool of observers, but you may be lucky. In one of the parties, the website was told that they were trying to appoint an observer to the polling station at the place of residence, so that he himself could vote, and also to make it easier to get home, because the counting of votes could drag on past midnight.

How to prepare?

Both in the "Voice" and in the parties, a 1.5-2-hour training on how to be an observer awaits you. The first training for observers has already been held in Yekaterinburg, according to Alexander Grezev, there will be 7-8 more large trainings. Alternatively, the 248-page Short Term Observer's Handbook can be read. In the parties they say that they also study according to the manuals of the "Voice". Separately, you need to study the Electoral Code. You can read publications in the media about what were the violations in the past elections and whether there were any in your area in order to be prepared in advance for something like this.

It is necessary to stay at the polling station until the end of the counting of votes and filling out the protocol, otherwise everything would be pointless. Be prepared that in extreme cases you will stay until morning, so get a good night's sleep the night before.

What can an observer do?

An observer has the right to follow all the actions of the employees of the election commission for which he works, to monitor the counting of votes, draw up a protocol with the results of voting, file complaints about all violations, receive a certified copy of the protocol, as well as take photographs and videos, having previously said about this PEC.

What is forbidden to the observer?

Observers are strictly prohibited from touching ballots, let alone giving them to voters. In no case should a voter be helped to vote, even if he asks very strongly for it. An observer cannot take part in the counting of votes, participate in the work of the commission. It is forbidden to agitate voters for any of the candidates, even if a pensioner tearfully asks you for whom to put a tick for her - you can’t prompt. Violation of any of these points will be a reason for removal from the site.

At the same time, remember that removing you from the site without a court decision has been prohibited since last year, before the commission could remove the observer by its own decision. The representative of the commission will probably go with a statement to the court, which will consider the document immediately. So far, this is not a very common phenomenon, which almost no one has encountered in practice. According to observers, the PECs know about the secret order of the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, that it is better not to touch the observers without a reason.

How to behave in the field?

Experienced observers advise that there should always be at least one independent observer on the site. For example, if there are three of you, then you can’t all go to lunch or go to the toilet together. According to observers, the most important principle is continuity, if the polling station was left for at least half an hour, then you can not follow it further, because this time is enough to, for example, throw in ballots.

It is undesirable to conflict with members of the election commission, especially because of minor violations that cannot affect the election results. Many experienced observers agree with the commission that they will not find fault with minor violations, but all the important part of the work, for example, the vote count, will be carried out strictly according to the law, without speeding up the process that PEC members like to resort to. Observers advise that it is better not to quarrel with the commission, but to help them, especially if its members know the law worse.

In Golos, it is advised to address only the heads of the commission (chairman, deputy, secretary), preferably by name and patronymic, not to raise your voice, to be extremely polite. In recent years, PECs have become accustomed to independent observers, but there are still cases when particularly persistent activists were removed from polling stations under any pretext. If the commission refuses to work with observers according to the law, then you need to start taking action. All claims and comments should be made in writing. Golos advises you to be as persistent as possible, even if the chairman of the commission says that he is busy and does not pay attention to the violation you indicated. Moreover, if you see a gross violation of the law that occurs right in front of you, for example, you witnessed a stuffing, then you can physically prevent the offense.

What if there are already enough observers?

Never enough. As Alexander Grezev, coordinator of Golos in the Sverdlovsk region, told the site, he expects to train about 150 people at the trainings and send them to the polling stations. So far, about 50 people have signed up through the form. At the same time, 549 polling stations will open in Yekaterinburg on September 10, so there are not enough observers.

Already next Sunday, September 10, the inhabitants of the Sverdlovsk region will elect a governor. This will be the first popular election of the head of the region in the last 14 years. Six people are vying for the chair of the region's leader. According to the election commission, a number of innovations are envisaged for this year's elections. 805 precinct and 12 territorial election commissions in the region will be equipped with video surveillance cameras and electronic voting boxes. Also, Sverdlovsk residents will be able to vote at the location within the region without absentee ballots. Everything that a voter needs to know about the elections of the Sverdlovsk governor this year is in the material of the Academy of Sciences "Mezhdu stroki".

Who do we choose?

We elect the governor of the Sverdlovsk region. This is the highest administrative elected person in the region, who leads the state executive authorities. He heads the regional government and his own administration, coordinates the work of law enforcement agencies, and has the right to dissolve the Legislative Assembly. In accordance with Art. 44 p. 1 of the Charter of the Sverdlovsk region, the governor determines the main directions of domestic policy, ensures the protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, signs and promulgates regional laws.

The governor is elected by the inhabitants of the region for a term of five years and cannot hold the said position for more than two consecutive terms. For the first time in the Sverdlovsk region, the governor was elected in 1995. The first and so far the only head of the region elected by popular vote was Eduard Rossel, who won election campaigns three times - in 1995, 1999 and 2003. After him, Alexander Misharin and Yevgeny Kuyvashev became governors, but their candidacies had already been proposed by the president and were not submitted to a popular vote.

Who wants to take the governor's seat?

Everyone will have to choose from six candidates. These are State Duma deputy from the LDPR Igor Toroshchin, head of the regional branch of the Russian Party of Pensioners for Justice Dmitry Sergin, deputy of the Legislative Assembly from A Just Russia Dmitry Ionin, managing director of PJSC Plus Bank Alexei Parfyonov from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, deputy of the City Duma of Yekaterinburg, nominated by the party " The Greens, Konstantin Kiselyov and Acting Head of the Region Evgeny Kuyvashev. A month before the expiration of the latter's term, in April 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted his resignation (the powers ended in May), but immediately signed a decree appointing him as acting head of the region. This was perceived by Ural political scientists and Kuyvashev's fellow party members as support for the Kremlin in the upcoming elections.

Only these six managed to collect the required number of signatures of municipal deputies and heads (from 126 to 132) to pass the so-called "municipal filter" and officially register as candidates for the post of Sverdlovsk governor.

Why do you need a municipal filter?

The municipal filter is formally designed to test candidates for their "seriousness" and ability to establish ties with deputies. In reality, the filter, according to the opposition parties, makes it impossible for those people who can seriously compete with the nominee from the party in power to participate in the elections. Now there are 1,547 deputies in the dumas of various levels. Of these, United Russia has 948 deputies, Just Russia has 88, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation has 71, the LDPR has 35, the RPPS has 10, and the rest are self-nominated.

No. Citizens of the Russian Federation who have reached the age of 18 and whose place of residence is located on the territory of the region can take part in voting in the election of the governor of the Sverdlovsk region. Persons recognized by the court as incompetent or held in places of deprivation of liberty by a court verdict cannot vote. Employees of TECs recommend that you clarify in advance whether you are included in the list of voters and which precinct you belong to, so that on election day there will be no unpleasant misunderstandings for you.

My friend does not want to go to the polls, will he be punished?

“In 2013, at the election of the head, the turnout was 45%, in 2016, when deputies of the Legislative Assembly were elected, it was about the same level. Therefore, we hope that this year's turnout will be sufficient. There was a time when the people of Tagil were even less interested in the elections, the turnout was 35%, now it is becoming more active. Let's hope that the voters will come, despite the height of the gardening season,” said Lidia Bryzgalova, chairman of the Nizhny Tagil election commission.

How to find your polling place?

On the territory of Nizhny Tagil, 157 polling stations will operate from 8:00 to 20:00. You can find your address on the website of the election commission of the Sverdlovsk region.

On September 10, special groups of members of election commissions with ballot papers and a portable sealed ballot box will visit the seriously ill, elderly, people with disabilities.

What if I moved to another city?

Those who do not have time to decide on their location before September 5 can vote on the territory of the Sverdlovsk region according to a special or, as it is also called, branded application.

“Special applications will be issued from September 5 to September 9 at the PECs at the place of registration,” the local election commission says. - For example, they send someone on a business trip, he comes to his native PEC and writes a statement where he indicates the reasons for which he leaves the city, and also because of which he was previously unable to write an application for voting at the location. A part of a special stamp is stuck on the application, after which it is given to the voter. Before the elections, the regional electoral commission will publish a list of polling stations to which Ural residents can come with branded statements. In our Leninist Commission, for example, there will be seven such polling stations.”

People who have only a temporary residence permit on the territory of the Sverdlovsk region or have no registration at all will not be able to vote in the gubernatorial elections.

In the Sverdlovsk region, early voting in the gubernatorial elections will be organized only in hard-to-reach villages and hamlets. It will start on September 2 and end on September 9. Voting will be in 24 settlements: in Artinsky, Volchansky, Gornouralsky, Ivdelsky, Serovsky, Sosvinsky, Tavdinsky, Tugulymsky, Turinsky and Shali urban districts, Baikalovsky and Taborinsky municipal districts, Alapaevsky municipality, urban districts of Verkhotursky and Karpinsk.

How many ballots will I be given at the polling station?

For the election of the Sverdlovsk governor, one ballot will be issued, which will indicate the full name and brief information about all six candidates. The procedure for placing information about them in the bulletin was determined by the election committee in early August. The first line was taken by Social Revolutionary Dmitry Ionin, the last - by Liberal Democrat Igor Toroshchin.

News agency "Between the Lines"

Free lottery for voters in the Urals. The prize drawing will be held on September 10, the single day of voting. According to experts, there is a violation of the electoral law

The organizers of the Ural Gems festival were suspected of bribing voters. During the festival, the final day of which will coincide with the single day of voting, on September 10, when the governor of the Sverdlovsk region will be elected, numerous valuable prizes will be raffled off. Moreover, the lottery for participants will be free. CEC representative Ella Pamfilova has already promised to look into this situation.
Officially, the lottery is pure charity. Her task is to improve the mood of the inhabitants. And this is done at the expense of business, says Maria Plyusnina, a correspondent for the Yekaterinburg online newspaper Znak.com.

Maria Plyusnina
Correspondent of the Yekaterinburg online newspaper Znak.com

“The Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry has established an appropriate charitable foundation. Officially, of course, they do not say that this was done to increase turnout. Well, it's such a holiday for the whole region. This lottery was invented in order to increase the turnout in elections. It seems to me that this is due to the fact that the gubernatorial campaign is not very competitive. And interest in the elections on the part of voters is not too high. It will cover all major cities: Nizhny Tagil, Kamensk-Uralsky, Pervouralsk, but it will not be held in Yekaterinburg. They say that in Yekaterinburg there is no task to increase turnout, because it is unpredictable how the city will vote. Yekaterinburg traditionally has the largest number of election observers, and, accordingly, they may see this as a violation, which is disadvantageous for the authorities.”

There is no doubt that there is a violation of the electoral law here. But it is not certain that the CEC will be able to defend this point of view, says Arkady Lyubarev, a member of the working group of the Presidential Council on Citizens' Electoral Rights.

Arkady Lyubarev
member of the working group of the presidential council on the electoral rights of citizens

“Initially, this was done against covert bribery, when people bet on a certain candidate and, accordingly, they are thereby stimulated to vote for this candidate. Therefore, when a lottery is done to increase turnout, it has become generally accepted that it is not prohibited by law, although the law is interpreted more broadly. That is, no lotteries related to elections should be held at all. Let's see how the CEC will react, because, indeed, this is a moot point.”

By a strange coincidence, the locations of the festival lottery prize draws, as a rule, coincide with the addresses of the polling stations. The URA.ru portal reports that the gift fund, which the Ural business has decided to create to raise the mood of fellow countrymen, will include at least ten apartments, 130 cars, tens of thousands of household appliances and hundreds of thousands of souvenirs.