Home > 2.1 The competent bodies and their tasks > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Federal Law on Elections of Deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
 
 
 
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Article 81
 

1. Voting shall be conducted from 8:00 to 20:00 local time. If the electoral precinct is the place of residence (location) of voters, whose working time coincides with the voting time (working at companies with a continuous cycle of work or working in shifts), by decision of the election commission of a Russian Federation subject the start of voting at this polling station may be moved to an earlier time, but by no more than two hours. Persons referred to in Part 5 of Article 32 of the present Federal Law shall be granted access to the polling station no later than one hour before the start of voting.


2. The day, time and place of voting shall be communicated by territorial and precinct election commissions to voters through mass media or otherwise no later than ten days prior to voting day, and during early voting in accordance with Article 82 of the present Federal Law - no later than five days before the day of early voting.


3. At the electoral precincts established in military units, in inaccessible or remote areas, on vessels that will be at sea on the voting day, at polar stations, the precinct electoral commission may announce voting completed ahead of the time specified in Part 1 of this Article, if all voters included in the voter list have voted.


4. On the voting day immediately before the time of voting the chair of the precinct election commission shall present for inspection to the members of the precinct election commission, persons referred to in Part 5 of Article 32 of the present Federal Law, empty portable and stationary ballot boxes, which shall then be stamped by the seal of the precinct election commission (sealed). Chair of the precinct election commission shall present to these persons also stamped (sealed) mobile ballot boxes with ballots filled by those who voted early in accordance with Parts 2 - 9 of Article 82 of the present Federal Law, if any.


5. Members of the precinct election commission with decisive votes immediately before the time of voting shall receive from the chair of the precinct election commission a voter list or books into which the voter list is divided, and ballots for issuing to voters, and sign for their receipt. After that, the chair of the precinct election commission shall announce the polling station open and invite voters to start voting.


6. Ballots shall be issued to voters included in the voter list upon presentation of a passport or the document replacing the passport, and if a voter votes with an absentee vote certificate - upon presentation also of the absentee vote certificate. Each voter is entitled to receive two ballots (except in cases provided for in Part 11 of this Article): one for voting in the federal electoral district and one voting in the respective single-mandate electoral district. If a voter votes with an absentee vote certificate outside the singlemandate electoral district in which he has the active right of suffrage in accordance with Part 2 of Article 4 of the present Federal Law, he shall be entitled to receive only one ballot –for voting in the federal electoral district. Before issuing ballots a member of the precinct election commission shall verify that the voter has not received an absentee vote certificate, has not voted early, that a written statement (verbal statement) of the voter to grant him an opportunity to vote outside the polling station has not been registered in the register specified in Part 2 of Article 83 of the present Federal Law, and that members of the precinct election commission have not been sent to the voter to conduct voting outside the polling station.


7. Upon receipt of ballots the voter shall record the series and number of his passport or the document replacing the passport in the voter list. With the consent of the voter or at the voter’s request this information may be recorded on the voter list by a voting member of the precinct election commission. If there is a corresponding decision of the Central Election Commission, series and numbers of passports or the documents replacing the passport may be entered on the voter list using GAS Vybory during compilation of the said list. In that case, a voting member of the precinct election commission who issues ballots shall verify this information with the voter’s document. The voter shall check correctness of the records and sign a receipt for each ballot. The member of the precinct election commission who issued the ballots to the voter shall also sign in the respective column of the voter list. In case of voting with an absentee vote certificate, appropriate additional records shall be made in the voter list.


8. Voting shall be carried out by a voter by marking the ballot with any sign: on the ballot for voting in the federal electoral district – in the square referring to the chosen federal list of candidates; on the ballot for voting in the single-mandate electoral district - in the square referring to the chosen candidate.


9. Each voter shall vote personally. Voting for other voters shall not be permitted. Ballots shall be filled in the cabin or another specially equipped place for secret voting, where the presence of other persons is impermissible, except in the case provided for in Part 10 of the present Article.


10. A voter who is unable to sign for the receipt of ballots or fill in the ballot, or take part in electronic voting by himself, shall be is entitled to use assistance of another person who is not a member of an election commission, a registered candidate or his proxy, a proxy or an authorized representative of a political party, including for financial issues, an authorized representative of a regional branch of a political party for financial issues, an authorized representative of a candidate on financial issues, an observer, a foreign (international) observer. Such voter shall verbally inform the election commission of his intention to use assistance of another person. In this case, the surname, first name and patronymic, series and number of the passport or the document replacing the passport of the person assisting the voter shall be entered in the respective column (columns) of the voter list.


11. If the voter thinks that when marking a ballot he made a mistake, he is entitled to approach a voting member of the precinct election commission, who issued the ballot, with a request to issue a new ballot in place of the spoiled one. A member of the precinct election commission shall issue a new ballot to the voter, make a corresponding record on the voter list against the name of the voter, and sign. On the spoiled ballot paper a voting member of the precinct election commission shall make an appropriate record and certify it with signature. This record shall be certified also by the secretary of the precinct election commission, then the ballot shall be cancelled immediately.


12. The voter places filled ballot into a stamped (sealed) stationary ballot box. If the Central Election Commission in accordance with Part 4 of Article 79 of the present Federal Law decided to use envelopes, the voter shall outside the cabin or another specially equipped place for secret voting put the ballot in the envelope, which shall be issued to him by a voting member of the precinct election commission, seal it, and then put the envelope in the ballot box.


13. Chair of the precinct election commission shall maintain order in the polling station. Instructions of the chair of the precinct election commission, issued within the scope of his competence, shall be binding for all those present at the polling station. In the absence of the chair of the precinct election commission, his powers shall exercised by the deputy chair of the precinct election commission, and in the absence of the deputy chair of the precinct election commission–by the secretary or another voting member of the precinct election commission, authorized by it.


14. During the voting, counting of votes and compilation of the protocol of the precinct election commission on the voting results, persons referred to in Part 5 of Article 32 of the present Federal Law shall be entitled to be present in the polling station, premises of the precinct election commission. These persons shall be entitled to observe continuously as well as in freely selected intervals of time during the entire period of observation; they shall be provided with free access to the premises where the voting and counting of votes is conducted. The list of persons who observed the voting and counting of votes shall be compiled by the precinct election commission on the basis of documents provided by these persons.


15. A member of the precinct election commission shall be immediately suspended from participation in its work, and an observer or other persons shall be removed from the polling station, if they violate the legislation of the Russian Federation on elections and the fact of such violation is established in court. Law enforcement agencies shall ensure enforcement of the relevant court decisions. Law enforcement agencies shall also provide in accordance with federal laws security and public order at the voting premises and at the polling station.


16. Political parties which registered federal lists of candidates, their proxies and authorized representatives, candidates, and organizations whose founders, proprietors, owners and (or) members of the governing bodies include the said persons and organizations, other natural and legal persons acting at the request of or on behalf of such persons and entities shall be prohibited to perform any actions aimed at providing delivery of voters to participate in the voting.