CEC of Russia abandoned digital polling stations in September elections to the State Duma

The Central Election Commission of Russia abandoned the use of digital polling stations in 2021, where Russians could vote for governors and deputies of their regions, being, for example, in Moscow. On the decision of the Central Election Commission writes “Kommersant” with reference to the statement of the deputy chairman of the CEC Nikolai Bulaev.

“The use of experimental complexes of a digital polling station on a single voting day on September 19, 2021 is not provided for by federal legislation. The CEC of Russia is studying the issue of further application of these complexes, ”Bulaev said.

The deputy chairman of the CEC stressed that the rejection of digital precincts is associated with the optimization of technical voting means and the stake of the CEC on the development of online voting. In 2021, it will be available to seven regions of the country.

The experiment using digital polling stations has been conducted in Moscow twice since 2019. It was planned to expand it to the whole of Russia, but digital sites were not enshrined at the legislative level.

On July 14, the Central Election Commission of Russia also published a new procedure for video surveillance at polling stations. From now on, only “participants in the political process” will have access to a single open portal for observing the voting: central, regional, territorial and precinct election commissions, as well as observation centers, political parties and candidates.

Lawyer and co-chairman of the Golos movement Andrei Buzin in a conversation with The Insider notedthat the CEC decision discredits the principle of open and transparent elections, and also once again proves the existence of violations in the voting process.