Elections-2017: Guide to bewildered

How to get to the polling station on a single voting day on September 10 and what to do there.

September 10, elections of different levels will be held in 81 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In 16 regions, governors will be selected, in six - deputies of legislative assemblies. In Yakutsk, they will choose mayors, in 11 regional centers - deputies of city thoughts. In many other cities, elections of local deputies and chapters will be held.

Is it worth going to the polls

The question that in 2017 again became one of the most relevant. There are different answers to it, and each of the parties has its own arguments. For example, Alexei Navalny and the mayor of Yekaterinburg, Yevgeny Roizman, called for voters to boycott the elections of the governor of the Sverdlovsk region.

Formally, such an appeal does not violate the legislation, but Roskomnadzor had previously blocked sites that contained calls for a boycott.

The Chairman of the CEC Ella Pamfilova called politicians “worshipers and defeators” who urge citizens to boycott the elections. In her opinion, a real politician, if he believes in his business, "must try to be elected according to existing rules."

To go or not to go - in the end, you will decide anyway to you.

How the authorities will increase the low turnout

The turnout of voters for municipal elections is traditionally considered low-about 30-40%comes to the plots. In this regard, the authorities are taking a number of measures to increase it.

Often this is done by administrative methods - employees of the budget sphere under various pretexts are convinced to come to the polls. Sometimes the authorities act more delicate. For example, in the same Sverdlovsk region, everyone who came to the site will be awarded as part of the Festival "Ural Gems".

Where is my polling station

If you still decide to go and vote, but still do not know where your polling station is, then the answer is easy to find on the website of the Central Election Commission.

Where to read about candidates

In general, by this time, political parties have time to thoroughly get bored with their agitation at the place of residence, however, if this has not happened to you yet, then all the information is easy to find on the website of the regional election commission. For example, so .

When I can vote

On the voting day, September 10, all polling stations work from 8:00 to 20:00 local time. In the Perm Territory and Karelia, plots will work from 8:00 to 22:00, in the Kaliningrad region - from 7:00 to 21:00.

What to do if I can’t vote on September 10

In some regions, early voting is open, but that is not all. If you are on a business trip, on vacation, on your studies - take a absenteeism in your site in advance. So it will be possible only in the Leningrad and Bryansk regions.

In 20 regions, a new system will be tested - voting "at the location". Instead of receiving absenteeisms, you can, through the website of the State Services, MFC or directly in the election room, submit a special application so that you are included in the lists for voting in the site in another city. This year, this can be done within the same region, they plan to introduce throughout the country in the next system. If you are in the hospital - the vote will be organized there, just prepare a passport. If you are at home, but for some reason do not get out of it-at least 6 hours before the end of the elections (until 14:00 local time), call your polling station, and the election commission will come to your house.

What to take with you

Passport and pen.

Why do you need a pen

There were cases when voters on the site slipped a handle with endangered ink. Not only does an empty bulletin by law be considered invalid, it is also likely that someone else can then put their mark in it.

So take a tested pen with you better, and, of course, not a pencil that could be easily wiped.

What sign to put in the ballot

Anyone. Out of habit, everyone puts a checkmark, but no one forbids writing TJ in the square, shake it or have fun in a different way. Remember the main thing - the ballot is valid only when it is possible to unequivocally establish the will of the voter.

How much time can I spend in the voting booth

Formally - as much as you like. No one limits you in what time you will make your choice until the site has closed. Another thing is that you will do it there for so long.

Is it necessary to go to the voting booth

No. The fact that your choice is a secret is your right, not an obligation. You can vote at least on the windowsill. Another thing is that a clear and obvious demonstration of what choice you made can be regarded as illegal agitation on the voting day, but you should not provoke others.

Can I take the ballot with me

Please, do not do that! The ballot is a form of strict reporting and an attempt to take it off the polling station can be stopped by police officers.

Moreover, taking it completely pointless. At the same time, you create a headache only to members of the commissions and no one else! When calculating the votes, the number of issued ballots with their number in the urn is verified and, if this number does not coincide, it is obvious that before midnight it will not be possible to leave. The commission sits again to recount all the ballots several times until it finds that this is not a random mistake.

Is it possible to conduct photo and video on the site

You can not shoot everything that happens in the booths, because we have a secret vote. You can not remove the filled ballots. For the same reason.

Otherwise, there are no special restrictions - people often take a photo for memory, or even just shoot information stands. In 2018, the CEC within the framework of the information campaign is even ready to conduct “flash mobs that propose to make a selfie on the polling station.”

How can I control the honesty of the elections

Firstly, you may well become an observer. However, if such an option for various reasons is unacceptable, then here is an article on how to optimize the counting of voters in the elections. This will not save from all violations, but can help prevent some of them.

#Elections 2017