‘Imaginary’ campaign boards and an assignment to vote in prisons
01.09.2021
This is the fifth overview of reports of possible violations of electoral legislation gathered via the 'Map of Violations' by the Movement in Defense of Voters' Rights 'Golos' between August 23 and August 29. The Map is a project that collects information about possible electoral violations using the principle of crowdsourcing – observers, voters, members of commissions may report alleged violations witnessed during the electoral campaigning or voting using a submission form on the website or a telephone hotline. Pre-moderated submissions are published on https://www.kartanarusheniy.org/.
In total, from August 23 to August 29, 100 messages were received by the Map.
Typology of violations:
The typology of potential violations is as follows (one message may constitute more than one type of violation):
- Abuse of administrative resources – 44
- Violations of the rules of print and outdoor campaigning – 19
- Violations of the rules of campaigning in the media – 15
- Pressure from the authorities, coercion, bribery of voters – 9
- Wrongful refusals of registration and violation of the candidate's rights – 9
- Threats to one's life, health, or property– 7
- Pressure from law enforcement entities – 5
- Violation of the rights of commission members, observers, media – 5
- Other violations – 13
Leading areas in the number of cases over the past week:
- Samara Oblast – 17
- Moscow – 16
- Kirov Oblast and St. Petersburg – 8 each
- Moscow Oblast – 7
Since the beginning of the election campaign, 658 cases from 66 regions have been published on the 'Map of Violations.'
Main trends
The main subject matter of the new cases totally coincides with the trends of the previous week. There are complaints about the pressure exercised on the administrative personnel to vote mainly in favour of United Russia and its candidates. Information about such cases was registered in Samara, Moscow, Kirov, Oryol, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Omsk, Tomsk and Tyumen oblasts, as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Krasnodarskiy, Permskiy and Altaiskiy krais, the Republics of Altai, Bashkortostan, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.
A comparable number of cases points at the examples of illegal campaigning. This type of violation was reported in Samara, Moscow, Ivanovo, Kirov, Pskov and Volgograd oblasts, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in the Altaiskiy, Permskiy and Stavropolskiy krais, as well as in the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region.
Top 5 cases of the week
At the end of the last week, the 'Map of Violations' received1 information of the absence of boards dedicated for posting campaign materials in the Nizhegorodsky district of Moscow. On the same day, the Telegram channel of the Moscow City Election Commission reported2 that the information had not been confirmed. According to the commission, the required 28 boards had been installed one day before by the Nizhegorodsky administration assisted by the local municipal service after the corresponding decision of the Territorial Election Commission had been received.
In the following 2 days, the person reporting the case went around all the addresses where the boards were supposed to be located. 'According to the findings of the inspection (...) related to the presence of 28 boards at 19 different addresses, only 8 boards had been found at 8 addresses,' the author concludes in their subsequent message. 3
The Acting Head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in Samara Oblast has ordered4 the employees to use a 'mobile voting' option and reassign themselves to polling stations set up 'at the location of institutions' (that is, on the territory of prisons and colonies).
No one has the right to influence citizens of the Russian Federation and force them to participate or not participate in voting. Moreover, according to the Labour Code, it is prohibited to require an employee to perform any duties that are not stipulated in the employment contract.
Residents of the village Yagodnoye, Tomsk Oblast, complained5 about pressure from the local administration. Before the campaign event, planned in the local recreation center in support of a candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, state employees were given the following warning: 'If you come to see Amelin [the candidate from the Communist Party], you would be fired.' As an example, a neighbouring village was mentioned, where 'repressions' had begun against the artistic director because of their meeting in support of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
The mass media reported that on July 24, at the celebration in the village of Krasnaya Gorbatka (Vladimir Oblast) dedicated to its 148th anniversary, items with United Russia party symbols were distributed. 6 'At the entrance to the city hall, volunteers from United Russia distributed metal lids to can pickled food with the symbols of the largest party of the Russian Federation. This is a very useful seasonal item for many Russians.'
Information portal Newsler reports that in Kirov, the head of the city, as well as the chairwoman of the Kirov City Duma, Elena Kovaleva, met7 with the directors of city schools and kindergartens. After the meeting, all of them received a WhatsApp message with the task to generate lists of those who are willing to vote for the party. The audio of the meeting, as well as copies of WhatsApp messages are at our disposal: 'Dear managers! Tomorrow by 11.00 (no later), each institution must submit to the Department of Education a list of people who plan to vote for the party. The list shall contain both last/first name, patronymic, and the address of the employee. DO NOT interrogate your employees!!! We ask you to bring this information to the managers of your TMD (territorial methodology department) by phone, do not send it by e-mail!!! The lists can be sent to my email, as well as to the email of Elena Georgievna, subject field marked with "for work". If you are on vacation and do not have the opportunity to inform your colleagues from the TMD, entrust this work to the acting person and worn about its confidentiality.'
The message also contained a postscript: 'Delete after reading, do not comment and do not tell anyone. Those who read the message put "+". Send and delete.'
References:
1 https://www.kartanarusheniy.org/2021-09-19/m/58508
2 https://t.me/mosizbirkom/197
3 https://www.kartanarusheniy.org/2021-09-19/m/58508
4 https://www.kartanarusheniy.org/2021-09-19/m/58552
5 https://www.kartanarusheniy.org/2021-09-19/m/58525
