Home > 2.1.1 Electoral commissions > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Federal Law on Elections of Deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
 
 
 
Download file    
 
 
Article 83
 

1. Precinct election commission shall provide the opportunity to participate in the voting to voters who are eligible to be included or are included in the voter list at this polling station, but for valid reasons (state of health, disability) are unable to arrive at the polling station on their own. The precinct election commission shall also provide an opportunity to participate in the voting to voters who are included in the voter list at this polling station and are in places of detention for suspects and accused of committing crimes.


2. Voting outside the polling station, except as provided for in Article 82 of this Federal Law, shall be carried out only on voting day on the basis of a written application (verbal request) of the voter (including communicated with the assistance of other persons) to provide him with the opportunity to vote outside the polling station. This application (verbal request) may be lodged (made) by the voter at any time during 10 days prior to voting day, but no later than six hours before the end of voting time. The precinct election commission shall register all applications (verbal requests) in a special register, which shall be stored together with the voter list after the end of voting. The application (verbal request) received after the deadline shall be declined, and the voter or the person assisting in communicating the request shall be notified verbally to that effect at the time of receipt of the application (verbal request).


3. Record of the verbal request of the voter in the register in accordance with Part 2 of this Article shall contain the time of receipt of the request, surname, first name and patronymic of the voter who requested to vote outside polling station, address of his place of residence, and the signature of the member of the precinct election commission who received the request (telephone call, message, etc.). If the request is made with the assistance of another person, the register shall also record the surname, first name and patronymic of this person and the address of his place of residence. Upon arrival of the members of the precinct election commission to the voter, the voter’s request shall be confirmed by a written application.


4. The written application (verbal request) of the voter to grant him an opportunity to vote outside polling station shall state the reason due to which the voter is unable to arrive at the polling station. The application must contain the surname, first name and patronymic of the voter, the address of his place of residence. The precinct election commission in its session may recognize the stated reason, due to which the voter is unable to arrive at the polling station, unfounded, and on that basis deny the voter in voting outside polling station. The decision to deny holding such voting shall be immediately communicated by the election commission to the voter. 5. Chair of the precinct election commission shall declare that members of the precinct election commission will conduct voting outside polling station no later than 30 minutes prior to their upcoming travel (departure) for this voting, and invite advisory members of the precinct election commission and observers to be present during its conduct.


6. A precinct election commission shall have the necessary number of mobile ballot boxes intended for voting according to the present Article. Mobile ballot boxes shall be made of transparent or semi-transparent material in accordance with the specifications for technological equipment, approved by the Central Election Commission. The number of these boxes shall be determined by decision of the territorial election commission. The maximum number of mobile ballot boxes at one polling station used on voting day for voting outside the polling station, depending on the number of voters registered in the precinct, shall be:


1) up to 501 voters - 1 mobile ballot box;


2) from 501 to 1001 voters - 2 mobile ballot boxes;


3) more than 1,000 voters - 3 mobile ballot boxes.


7. By decision of the territorial election commission, the number of mobile ballot boxes for voting outside the polling station specified in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 6 of this Article, may be increased, but by no more than 1 mobile ballot box, if at least one of the following conditions is present:


1) the electoral precinct includes the territory of several localities, and the locality where the polling station is located is not within walking distance to the other localities during voting time; 2) within the territory of the electoral precinct there is a place of temporary stay of voters, where there is no polling station;


3) more than 50 voters over 80 years old and (or) disabled are registered within the territory of the electoral precinct, whose details are presented in accordance with paragraph 16.1 of Article 20 of the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees";


4) when the voting day in elections of deputies of the State Duma is combined with the voting day in elections to the state bodies of subjects of the Russian Federation and (or) local government, the voter has the opportunity to vote at the same time with more than two ballots.


8. By decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the number of mobile ballot boxes determined in accordance with Parts 6 and 7 of the present Article may be increased if ballots are produced in the form of brochures.


9. Voting members of the precinct election commission who conduct voting outside polling station shall receive ballots and sign for their receipt in the list of issued ballots for voting outside polling station. The total number of received ballots for each electoral district shall not exceed by more than 5 per cent the number of written applications (verbal requests), received by the time of travel (departure) of election commission members, but should be at least two ballots for each electoral district. Voting outside polling station shall be carried out by at least two voting members of the precinct election commission, who shall have with them a stamped (sealed) at the precinct election commission mobile ballot box, the necessary number of ballots of the prescribed form, the register referred to in Part 2 of this Article, or a certified extract from it containing information about voters and a record on received written applications (verbal requests) of voters to provide them with the opportunity to vote outside polling station, as well as the necessary writing materials (except pencils) to fill in ballots by voters. A reference mark shall be placed in the voter list that member(s) of the precinct commission has (have) left to the corresponding voter. Voting outside polling station may be held by one voting member of the precinct election commission, provided that it is done in the presence of at least two persons from among the persons specified in Part 15 of the present Article.


10. Voting outside polling station shall be conducted in compliance with the requirements stipulated in Article 81 of the present Federal Law.


11. On the written application to provide an opportunity to vote outside polling station the voter shall indicate the series and number of his passport or the document replacing the passport, and certify the receipt of each ballot with his signature. With the consent of the voter or at his request, this information may be recorded in the application by a voting member of the precinct election commission. Voting members of the precinct election commission shall certify the issuance of ballots with their signatures on the voter’s application. The application shall also include a record if a new ballot paper is issued instead of a spoiled one. After the vote, the application shall be stored together with the voter list.


12. If the voter due to disability or for health reasons is unable to independently sign for the receipt of ballots or fill in the ballots, he may use assistance of another voter for this purpose in the manner prescribed by Part 10 of Article 81 of the present Federal Law.


13. Voting members of the precinct election commission conducting voting outside the polling station may issue ballots only to those voters whose applications (verbal requests) are registered in the register in accordance with Part 2 of this Article.


14. The series and number of passport or the document replacing the passport of the voters who voted outside polling station shall be entered in the voter list by voting members of the precinct election commission travelled based on the voters’ applications (requests). At the same time an appropriate record shall be made in the appropriate column (columns) of the voter list, signed by these members of the precinct election commission.


15. Advisory members of the precinct election commission, observers are entitled to be present during voting outside the polling station. The precinct election commission shall ensure for at least two persons from among its advisory members, observers appointed by different political parties, equal opportunities to travel to the place of voting outside polling station to those of the precinct election commission voting members. The organization of voting outside polling station shall exclude any violations of electoral rights of citizens, as well as the possibility of distortion of voters' will.


16. If the voter who made the application (verbal request) to provide him with the opportunity to vote outside the polling station arrived at the polling station after precinct election commission voting members were sent to him to conduct voting outside polling station, none of the members of the precinct election commission shall be entitled to issue him ballots in the polling station until the members of the precinct election commission conducting voting outside polling station at the application (verbal request) of this voter return and it is established that this voter had not voted outside the polling station.


17. At the end of voting with each mobile ballot box the precinct election commission shall draw up an act which shall state the number of ballots for each electoral district, issued to voting members of the precinct election commission who conducted voting outside polling station, the number of written applications by voters requesting the opportunity to vote outside polling station, the number of ballots issued to voters and returned (unused, spoiled by voters) ballots, as well as information about the voting members of the precinct election commission who conducted voting outside the polling station, advisory members of the precinct election commission and observers present during the voting outside the polling station.