Home > 2.1.1 Electoral commissions > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens to Participate in a Referendum
 
 
 
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Article 27
 
Article 27. Procedure of Formation and the Powers of Precinct Commissions
1. Precinct commissions shall be formed during in the period of an election campaign, a referendum campaign at the time established by law in order to ensure the process of voting by voters, referendum participants, and counting of votes cast by voters, referendum participants.
2. The powers of a precinct commission shall expire ten days after the day of official publication of the results of an election, a referendum, if no complaints (applications) and protests have been received by the higher election commission against decisions and actions (omissions) of the given election commission, which resulted in the violation of the voting and the vote-counting procedure and also if these facts are not being investigated by a court. If the vote returns have been contested, the powers of a precinct election commission shall expire after a court or the higher election commission hands down a final decision on the substance of the complaint (application) or the protest.
3. The number of voting members of precinct commissions shall be set by law.
4. A precinct commission shall be formed by the higher commission on the basis of proposals referred to in Clause 2, Article 22 of this Federal Law and proposals made by the representative body of local self-government, meetings of voters at places of their residence, work, service, study.
5. The higher commission shall appoint at least one half of the total number of members of a precinct commission on the basis of nominations proposed by:
?) political parties, electoral blocs that have nominated federal lists of candidates included in the distribution of deputy seats in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation;
b) political parties, electoral blocs that have nominated lists of candidates included in the distribution of deputy seats in the legislative (representative) body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation;
c) political parties, electoral blocs that have nominated lists of candidates included in the distribution of deputy seats in the representative body of local self-government.
6. A precinct commission shall:
?) inform the population about the address and telephone number of the precinct commission, its working hours, and about the day, time, and place of voting;
b) update the list of voters, referendum participants, arrange for voters, referendum participants to inspect this list;, consider statements about mistakes and inaccuracies in this list and makes required correction therein;
c) prepare the voting premises, ballot boxes, and other equipment;
d) inform voters about registered candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs that have registered their lists of candidates, inform referendum participants about the issues of the referendum questions on the basis of the information received from the higher commission;
e) exercise control over compliance with the rules for election campaigning, campaigning on the issues of the referendum questions on the territory of the electoral precinct, the referendum precinct;
f) issue absentee certificates;
g) at the polling station, the referendum polling station, organize voting on voting day, and early voting;
h) count votes, determine vote returns for the electoral precinct, the referendum precinct, complete the protocol of vote returns, and deliver it to the territorial commission;
i) announce the vote returns in for the electoral precinct, the referendum precinct, and issues certified copies of the protocol of vote returns or certify such copies for persons who observed the progress of the voting;
j) within the scope of its competence, consider complaints appeals (applicationsgrievances) about violations of this Federal Law, other laws, and take reasoned decisions on such appeals (grievances)complaints (applications);
k) in the eventif any delinquencies infractions are found, compile protocols of administrative offences (prepare materials for such protocols), and forward these protocols to law enforcement authorities or the court, in accordance with the regulations on administrative offences;
l) ensure the safe keeping and transfer to higher commissions of documents relating to the preparation and conduct of an election, a referendum;
m) exercise other powers in accordance with the law.