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Article 65
 
Article 65. Early Voting
1. An early voting at elections of federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of subjects of the Russian Federation, in a referendum of the Russian Federation, a referendum of a subject of the Russian Federation shall not be conducted in the procedure established by Clauses 2-9 of this article.
2. At an election of bodies of local self-government, a local referendum, a voter, referendum participant who on voting day is absent from his place of residence and cannot come to the polling station in the electoral precinct, referendum precinct in which he was included in the list of voters, referendum participants for a valid reason (leave or vacation, business trip, hours of work or study, state or public duties, state of health) shall, if law does not allow voting by absentee certificates, be granted a possibility to vote early by marking a ballot at the premises of the relevant territorial commission, district election commission, municipality election commission (15 to 4 days before voting day), or the precinct commission (not earlier than three days before voting day). A voter, referendum participant who votes early shall submit to the relevant commission an application stating the reasons for early voting. This application shall be attached to the list of voters, referendum participants who voted early. The commission shall ensure the secrecy of voting, prevent any possibility of the will of a voter, referendum participant being distorted, arrange for the safekeeping of the ballot and ensure that the vote cast by the voter, referendum participant will be counted when vote returns are determined.
3. If a voter, referendum participant votes at the premises of the territorial commission, district election commission, municipality election commission, signatures of two members of the commission certified by the commission's seal shall be put in the upper right corner on the face of the ballot issued to him. The territorial commission, district election commission, municipality election commission shall compile a list of voters, referendum participants who voted early. Precinct commissions shall continue compiling, for the relevant precinct, the lists of voters, referendum participants who voted early, which they receive from the higher commissions.
4. A ballot marked by a voter, referendum participant voting early shall be put by the voter, referendum participant into an envelope and the envelope shall then be sealed. Two voting members of, respectively, territorial commission, district election commission, municipality election commission or the precinct commission and non-voting members of the commission, observes (if they so desire) shall put their signatures on the envelope seam. The said signatures shall be certified by the seal of the respective commission and a signature of the voter, referendum participant who voted early.
5. The sealed envelope with ballots shall be kept by the secretary of the relevant commission in the office of the territorial commission, district election commission, election commission of the municipality until the time when all ballots are transferred to precinct commissions, and in the office of the precinct commission, until voting day.
6. On voting day, the chairman of a precinct commission, shall get ready the technological vote counting equipment, if such equipment is used, switch this equipment to the voting mode and officially open the polling station in the presence of members of the precinct commission, observers, other persons referred to in Clause 3, Article 30 of this Federal Law. Before the commencement of voting, he shall announce the total number of voters, referendum participants who cast their votes early, including those who voted early at the premises of the territorial commission, district election commission, municipality election commission and shall produce for visual inspection the sealed envelopes with ballots and a list of voters, referendum participants who voted early. After this, the chairman of the precinct commission shall open each envelope in turn.
7. If the number of voters, referendum participants who voted early is more than one percent of the number of voters, referendum participants included in the list of voters, referendum participants in the electoral precinct, referendum precinct (but not less than ten voters, referendum participants), the ballots of voters, referendum participants who voted early shall be stamped on the back with the seal of the precinct commission immediately after the ballots are taken out of the envelopes.
8. After the performance of the actions described in Clauses 6 and 7 of this article, the chairman of the precinct commission shall, while observing the secrecy of the expression of the voters', referendum participants' will, drop the ballots into a stationary ballot box or a technological vote counting equipment, if such equipment is used. If an envelope does not bear the required marks provided for by Clause 4 of this article, or more than one ballot of the standard form established for the relevant district is taken out of the envelope, all ballots taken out from this envelope shall be declared invalid and a written statement shall be drawn up to this effect. An inscription stating the reasons for declaring a ballot invalid, certified by signatures of two voting members of the precinct commission and a seal of the precinct commission, shall be made on the face of each ballot in the boxes located to the right of the data of the candidates, lists of candidates, the option "Against all candidates" ("Against all lists of candidates"), the option "Yes" and "No."
9. On the list of voters, referendum participants the surnames of voters, referendum participants who voted early shall be marked with the words "Voted early."
10. In cases and in the procedure established by law, the relevant commission shall be entitled, with the concurrence of the higher commission, to allow early voting (but not earlier than 20 days before voting day) to be conducted in remote and hard-to-reach areas, on ships at sea on voting day, at polar stations, at one or more electoral precincts, referendum precincts.