Home > 2.1.1 Electoral commissions > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Federal Law on Presidential Elections in the Russian Federation
 
 
 
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Article 70
 

1. Election commissions of subjects of the Russian Federation may allow all voters in one or several electoral precincts established on ships at sea on voting day, at polar stations, in other remote and hard-to-reach areas to vote early but not earlier than 15 days before voting day. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may allow all voters in one or several electoral precincts established outside the territory of the Russian Federation to vote early but not earlier than 15 days before voting day. In such cases, early voting shall be conducted in accordance with the rules established by Article 69 of this Federal Law. Immediately after the completion of early voting the votes cast by voters shall be counted and voting results tabulated in accordance with the requirements of Articles 72 and 73 of this Federal Law.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 93-FZ of July 21, 2005)


2. If particular groups of voters included in the voters list of a relevant electoral precinct are located at places which are far away from the polling station and are inaccessible or hard to reach by any means of transport (at polar stations, in remote and hard-to-reach areas, etc.) and, therefore, early voting cannot be conducted in the whole electoral precinct in accordance with clause 1 of this Article, the election commission of the subject of the Russian Federation may allow these groups of voters to vote early but not earlier than 15 days before voting day, in the course of several days, in a procedure established by clauses 3 to 9 of this Article. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may allow certain groups of voters residing outside the territory of the Russian Federation to vote early but not earlier than 15 days before voting day during several days in the manner prescribed by clauses 3 to 9 of this Article.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 93-FZ of July 21, 2005)


3. To conduct early voting in accordance with clause 2 of this Article mobile ballot boxes shall be used the number of which shall be determined by the relevant precinct election commission. Before the commencement of early voting, empty mobile ballot boxes shall be produced for examination to the majority of its members and to persons mentioned in clause 5 of Article 23 of this Federal Law present in the commission’s premises, and a protocol shall be executed to record this fact. After that, empty mobile ballot boxes shall be sealed (closed-up).


4. Two members of a precinct election commission having the right of casting vote shall put their signatures in the upper right corner of the face of each ballot issued to a voter who votes early, which shall be certified with the seal of the precinct election commission.


5. Early voting outside the polling station shall be conducted by not less than two members of a precinct election commission having the right of casting vote. They shall be provided with a mobile ballot box sealed (closed-up) at the precinct election commission, the required number of standard ballots, an excerpt from the voters list containing data of the voters whom they are going to visit to conduct early voting or the voters list as well as the necessary writing utensils (excepting pencils) to mark ballots.


6. A voter who votes early shall sign for the receipt of a ballot issued to him in the excerpt from the voters list or in the voters list. Members of a precinct election commission who conduct early voting shall make a note in said excerpt or in the voters list to indicate that the voter voted early and shall specify the date and time of voting. If a voter put his signature in the excerpt from the voters list, the relevant notes as well as the series and number of the passport or a substitute document of the voter shall be entered in the voters list after the completion of early voting. This excerpt shall be kept together with the voters list. (as amended by Federal Law No. 93-FZ of July 21, 2005)


7. A voter shall mark the ballot and drop it into the mobile ballot box as provided by Article 69 of this Federal Law.


8. A protocol shall be executed to record the fact of early voting, indicating the date and time of voting, the number of voters who received ballots for early voting, the names of election commission members and other persons present at the voting. This protocol shall be kept together with the mobile ballot box.


9. Upon completion of early voting the slots for ballots in mobile ballot boxes shall be sealed by the chairman of a precinct election commission. The secretary of a precinct election commission shall make arrangements for safekeeping of the mobile ballot boxes. The mobile ballot boxes shall not be opened until the commencement of vote counting at the polling station. The mobile ballot boxes with the ballots of voters who voted early shall not be used for voting on voting day.


10. Early voting may be observed by the persons mentioned in clause 5 of Article 23 of this Federal Law. When early voting is to be conducted with the use of mobile ballot boxes, a precinct election commission shall make arrangements to ensure that at least two members of the election commission having the right of consultative vote, observers appointed by different registered candidates are provided with the same possibilities as the members of the precinct election commission having the right of casting vote to go to the place where early voting is to be conducted.


11. Early voting may be conducted only at the time appointed by resolution of a relevant precinct election commission. This time shall be made known to voters and persons mentioned in clause 5 of Article 23 of this Federal Law through the mass media and/or otherwise.


12. When conducting early voting a precinct election commission shall ensure the secrecy of voting, prevent any possibility of the expression of the voters’ will being distorted, make arrangements for the safekeeping of ballots and ensure that the votes of voters are reckoned in when the voting results are tabulated.