Home > 2.1.1 Electoral commissions > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Federal Law on Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum
 
 
 
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Article 66
 

1. A precinct commission shall make voting arrangements for voters, referendum participants who are included in the list of voters, referendum participants in the electoral precinct, referendum precinct but cannot come to the polling station on their own, due to valid reasons (poor health, physical disability). The precinct commission shall also ensure the possibility of voting participation for the voters, referendum participants who are included in the voter list, referendum participant list in the given precinct, referendum precinct, and are detained in custody as suspects and convicts.


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


2. Save the cases referred to in Section 1, Article 65 of this Federal Law, voting outside a polling station shall be conducted only on voting day and only on the basis of a written or oral application (including such written or oral application relayed by other persons) of a voter, referendum participant for an opportunity to vote outside a polling station. A precinct commission shall register all such written (oral) applications in a special register and, after the end of voting, shall keep this register together with the lists of voters, referendum participants.


(in the version of Federal Law of May 31, 2010, # 112-FZ)


3. An entry in the register mentioned in Section 2 of this article, registering an oral application shall indicate the time when the application was received, the surname, first name, patronymic of the voter, referendum participant who stated his intention to vote outside the polling station, his place of residence, and shall be signed by the member of the commission who received this application. If such application was relayed by another person, the register shall also indicate the surname, first name and patronymic and place of residence of such person. Upon the arrival of members of a precinct election commission to the voter, the voter shall confirm his oral application by a written application.


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


4. A written (oral) application for voting outside the polling station must state the reason why the voter, referendum participant is unable to come to the polling station and must indicate the surname, first name, patronymic, residence address of voters, referendum participants. (section 4 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ) 5. Written (oral) applications referred to in Section 4 of this article may be submitted to the precinct commission at any time after the precinct commission forming but not later than six hours before the end of voting time. Written (oral) application submitted later than the indicated deadline shall be disregarded, whereon the voter, referendum participant or the person assisting in the transmission of application, shall be informed verbally at the time of acceptance of written (oral application).


(in the version of Federal Law of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


6. At least 30 minutes before the presumed departure of members of a precinct election commission, the chairman of the precinct election commission shall announce that commission members are going to conduct voting outside the polling station, and shall as well suggest the non-voting precinct commission members and the observers to assist at the holding thereof.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


7. A precinct election commission may determine that the reason for which a voter, referendum participant cannot come to the polling station on his own is untenable and refuse to conduct voting outside the polling station for the voter, referendum participant. The commission shall immediately notify the voter, referendum participant on the made decision to refuse such voting.


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


8. Precinct commission shall have the necessary number of mobile ballot boxes, that shall be determined by the commission’s decision. The number of such boxes shall be determined by the decision of the direct higher commission, and if in the elections for local self-governing bodies, local referendum the territory of unified electoral district, referendum district coincides with the territory of election precinct, referendum precinct – by decision of the precinct commission. In case if the voting days for elections and/or referenda of various levels coincide, the decision shall be made by the commission participating at the preparation and holding of election/referendum of higher level. Thereat, the maximum number of mobile boxes used on the voting day outside the voting premises in one electoral district, referendum district function of the numbers of voters, referendum participants registered in the territory of an election district, referendum district, shall amount to:


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ, of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


a) up to 501 voters, referendum members – 1 mobile voting box;


(in the version of Federal Law of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


b) 501 to 1001 voters, referendum members – 2 mobile voting boxes;


(in the version of Federal Law of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


c) over 1001 voters, referendum members – 3 mobile voting boxes;


(in the version of Federal Law of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


81. By decision of the respective commission as indicated in Section 8 of this Article, the number of mobile voting boxes used outside the voting premises as indicated in sub-sections “a” and “b” of section 8 of this article, may be increased but by no more than 1 mobile box if at least one of the following conditions is met:


a) the election precinct, referendum precinct includes territories of several settlements, and the settlement where the voting premises are located is outside the reach of pedestrian access to other settlements within the voting time;


b) the territory of the election district, referendum district holds the place of temporary residence of voters, referendum participants, where no election precinct, referendum precinct is formed;


c) in the territory of the election district, referendum district as per Section 19 of Article 16 of this Federal Law, over 50 voters, referendum participants over 80 years and/or disabled persons data on which persons are submitted as per section 161 of article 20 of this Federal Law;


d) In case if the voting days for several elections coincide, the voter may vote simultaneously with more than two voting ballots.


(section 81 introduced by the Federal Law of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


9. Members of a precinct commission who are to conduct voting outside the polling station on the basis of such written (oral) applications shall receive ballots and sign for their receipt. The total number of ballots received may not exceed by more than 5 per cent the number of written (oral) applications received by the time of departure (but by no less than two ballots). Voting outside the polling station shall be conducted by at least two voting members of the precinct commission who shall have a sealed (tamper proof) mobile ballot box that was sealed or tamper proof at the precinct commission, the required number of ballots of the established form, the register described in Section 2 of this article or a certified excerpt from the register containing the necessary data of the voter, referendum participant and the information about the received written (oral) application for voting outside the polling station, applications for voting outside the polling station received from voters, referendum participants, and required writing utensils (other than pencils) needed for a voter, referendum participant to mark the ballot. Voting outside the polling station may be conducted by one voting member of a precinct election commission, provided that not less than two persons indicated in Section 14 of this article are present at the voting.


(in the version of Federal Laws of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ, of July 25, 2011, # 262-FZ)


10. Voting outside the polling station shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Article 64 of this Federal Law.


11. In the written application for voting outside the polling station, the voter, referendum participant shall indicate the series and number of his passport or an equivalent identity document and shall sign for receipt of each ballot. With the consent or at the request of the voter, referendum participant the series and number of his passport or an equivalent identify document may be entered in the application by a voting member of a precinct election commission. Voting members of a precinct election commission shall confirm the issuance of ballots by putting their signatures on the written application. A corresponding note shall be made on the application when a new ballot is issued in place of a spoilt one, and a note indicating the total number of received ballots shall be made, if a voter, referendum participant receives more than one ballot (depending on the type of the election and on the combination of elections, referendums).


111. In case if a voter, referendum participant is unable to sign on their own for ballot receipt or to mark the ballot because of disability or poor health, they can use for that purpose the assistance of another voter, referendum participant in manner as established by Section 10 of Article 64 of this Federal Law.


(Section 111 introduced by Federal Law of June 14, 2011, # 143-FZ)


12. Members of a precinct commissions who arrive to the voter’s, referendum participant’s place in response to their written (oral) applications may issue ballots only to those voters, referendum participants whose written (oral) applications were recorded in the register under Section 2 of this article.


13. The series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity document of a voter, referendum participant who voted outside the polling station shall be written in the list of voters, referendum participants by voting members of the precinct commission who went to the voter’s, referendum participant’s place in response to their written (oral) applications. At the same time, the words "Voted outside the polling station," signed by the commission members indicated above, shall be written in the appropriate column (columns) of the list of voters, referendum participants.


14. When voting is carried out outside the polling station, non-voting members of an election commission, observers may be present at the voting. In this case, a precinct election commission shall provide the same possibilities to come to the place of voting both for voting members of the precinct election commission who conduct voting outside the polling station and for not less than two non-voting members of the election commission, observers appointed by different candidates, electoral associations, referendum initiative groups, other referendum participant groups, social associations. At that, the non-voting members of an election commission, observers appointed by a candidate nominated by an electoral association, and the non-voting commission members, observers appointed by such electoral associations shall not be deemed as persons appointed by different candidates, electoral associations.


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


15. Voting outside the polling station shall be organized so as to prevent any violations of electoral rights of a voter, referendum participant and distortion of the expression of their will.


16. If a voter, referendum participant who made a written or oral application for voting outside the polling station comes to the polling station to vote after members of the precinct election commission were sent to him to conduct voting outside the polling station, a relevant member of the precinct election commission shall not issue a ballot to this voter, referendum participant at the polling station until the commission members who organize voting outside the polling station in response to the written or oral application of this voter, referendum participant return and it has been established that the voter, referendum participant has not voted outside the polling station.


17. As the voting by means of each mobile ballot box is completed, a separate certificate shall be drawn up by the precinct commission to record the number of ballots issued to the precinct commission voting members holding the voting outside the polling station, the number written applications of voters, referendum participants for voting outside the polling station and the number of returned (unused, spoilt by the voters, referendum participants) ballots, and such certificate shall also contain information about the precinct commission voting members holding the voting outside the polling station, the non-voting members of a precinct election commission and observers who were present when voting outside the polling station was conducted.


(Section 17 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)