Article 74. Use of State Automated Information System at Election, Referendum
1. In the course of preparation and conduct of an election, referendum, and in order to exercise other powers of commissions in support of the electoral rights and the right of citizens of the Russian Federation to participate in a referendum, use shall be made only of the state automated information system in the procedure established by this Federal Law, other federal laws. The requirements to the state automated information system and to its operation and upgrading shall be established by the federal law, and to the extent such requirements are not covered by the federal law - by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.
2. The staff composition of each election commission of a subject of the Russian Federation shall include, as its structural element, the information center of the election commission of the subject of the Russian Federation, the functions of which shall include technical and information support of the activities of the election commission of the subject of the Russian Federation, automation of information processes implemented in the course of preparation and conduct of elections, referendums on the territory of the subject of the Russian Federation, operation and upgrading of that part of the state automated information system operating on the territory of this subject of the Russian Federation. Employees of the said information center shall arrange and perform work related to the operation and upgrading of the state automated information system within the entire territory of the subject of the Russian Federation, including territorial commissions.
3. When at an election, referendum of the relevant level the state automated information system (individual components thereof) is used in accordance with the law for, among other things, registration of voters, referendum participants, preparation of lists of voters, referendum participants, counting of votes cast by voters, referendum participants, determination of vote returns and results of the election, referendum, the relevant commission shall established a group consisting of voting and non-voting members to exercise control over the use of the state automated information system (individual components thereof). All members of the commission, observers shall be entitled to get any information contained in the state automated information system for examination.
4. From the commencement of voting and till the time when the protocol of vote returns (the protocol of results of the election, the referendum) is signed by the relevant commission, the state automated information system shall be used to watch the progress of voting and detrermination of the vote returns through transmitting the data from lower commissions to higher commissions, and individual technical components of the system shall be used to count votes cast by voters, referendum participants. The data on the progress of voting and determination of vote returns that is obtained through the state automated information system (individual components thereof) shall be regarded as preliminary and legally ineffective information unless otherwise provided by this Federal Law, another law.
5. When the state automated information system (individual components thereof) is used at an election, a referendum, the data about participation of voters, referendum participants in the election, referendum, about interim and final vote returns shall be accessible in real time (in the read-only mode) to users of the public information/telecommunication network "Internet." The procedure and the time of the provision of such data shall not conflict with the requirements of the legislation governing elections and referendums.
