1. Precinct commissions shall be formed 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. At the elections to bodies of local self-government, during local referendum, powers of the precinct commission may be vested with another commission acting within the boundaries of the election precinct, the referendum precinct.

(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ).

2. The term of 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/grievances have been received by the higher election commission against 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 in the appropriate election precinct or referendum precinct the powers of a precinct election commission shall expire after the higher election commission hands down a final decision or from the date when the court judgment on the complaint/grievance takes effect.

(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ).

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 Section 2, Article 22 of this Federal Law and proposals made by the representative body of municipality, meetings of voters at places of their residence, work, service, study. The Law may envisage creation of the precinct commission in the election precinct, the referendum precinct created on a ship in a voyage or in a polar station as well as outside the Russian Federation by the appropriate officials.

(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ).

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:

ɚ) political parties, that nominated federal lists of candidates included in the distribution of deputy seats in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation as well as political parties that nominated lists of candidates, to whom deputy mandates were transferred in accordance with Article 821, Federal Law on Election of Deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

(in the version of Federal Law of May 12, 2009, # 94-FZ)

b) political parties, that 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 as well as political parties that nominates lists of candidates, to whom deputy mandates were transferred in accordance with the law of the subject of the Russian Federation, as envisaged in Section 117, Article 35, of this Federal Law.

(in the version of Federal Law of April 22, 2010, # 63-FZ).

c) political parties, that nominated lists of candidates included in the distribution of deputy seats in the representative body of municipality.

(Section 5 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ).

6. A precinct commission shall:

ɚ) 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 make required correction therein;

c) prepare the voting premises, ballot boxes, and other equipment;

d) inform voters about registered candidates, electoral associations, that have registered their lists of candidates, inform referendum participants about the referendum questions on the basis of the information received from the higher commission;

(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)

e) exercise control over compliance with the rules for election campaigning, campaigning on 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 for the electoral precinct, the referendum precinct, and issue certified copies of the protocol of vote returns for persons who observed the progress of the voting;

(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)

j) within the scope of its competence, consider appeals (grievances) about violations of this Federal Law, other laws, and take reasoned decisions on such appeals (grievances);

k) became invalid – Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ.

l) ensure the safekeeping 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.