In most regions the number of precinct election commissions is being reduced

In the regions, the number of precinct election commissions (PECs) is being reduced. This process lasted from March 2 to August 28, Vedomosti noted. Of the 85 entities that publish the composition of commissions, in 63 the number of commissions has decreased. In nine regions the number of PECs did not change at all, but in 13 the number of PECs increased. New regions do not publish data.

The leader among regions in reducing PECs for the period from March 2 to August 28 is Moscow (by 38% – from 3594 to 2217 polling stations). As Vedomosti wrote, members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation explained this by the growing popularity of remote electronic voting (DEG) and a decrease in the load on traditional polling stations.

The Kursk region is in second place in terms of the number of reduced polling stations; in total, 134 polling stations were reduced there – from 1,111 to 977 (12%), electoral expert Ivan Shukshin told Vedomosti. In 3rd place is the Jewish Autonomous Region (JAO): from 173 areas it was reduced to 160 (7.5%). Then, with a slight difference in the results, follow the Arkhangelsk region (7%), Chuvashia (6.7%), Kostroma (6.4%), Kurgan (6.2%), Tver (6%), Saratov (6%), Penza (5.8%) regions and Komi (5.8%). Vedomosti sent a request to regional election commissions. Next come the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, in which the number of PECs has been reduced by less than 5%: these are, for example, the Orenburg, Smolensk, Moscow regions, the Republic of Mordovia, Lipetsk, Volgograd, Bryansk and Tambov regions.

The reduction in the number of PECs is due to the consolidation of polling stations and a decrease in the number of residents in small settlements, a representative of the Arkhangelsk Election Commission told Vedomosti. Deputy Chairman of the CEC Nikolai Bulaev told Vedomosti that the CEC is analyzing the processes of reorganization of the PEC. “In some places, the reduction of PECs is a natural process due to a decrease in the population; in others, the work of commissions is being optimized,” he clarified. Bulaev said that in Arkhangelsk the reduction was due to the fact that there were several polling stations in one building: they were assigned to more convenient premises for voting in schools. A number of sites have been abolished due to the lack of suitable premises and the presence of claims from supervisory authorities that are technically impossible to eliminate. In the Kursk region, according to him, for a long time there was no inventory of polling stations: polling stations with fewer than 100 voters were abolished, and several polling stations were merged. 51 sites were in unsuitable premises – either without heating, or located in shelled border areas. The Jewish Autonomous Region has reduced PECs in villages where there were two commissions in one room.

The situation with the number of election commissions in nine regions has not changed at all: Chukotka, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Kalmykia, Kamchatka Territory, Karachay-Cherkessia, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Sevastopol, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. In 13 regions, PECs have become slightly larger: in Ingushetia, Chechnya, Tyumen, Kaliningrad, Irkutsk regions, Stavropol and Perm territories, Tuva, Karelia, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Crimea, Omsk and Rostov regions.

PECs are being cut to reduce the “overall surveillance power,” Shukshin believes. “Thousands of dropouts [членов] from the commissions cannot go to the remaining commissions from their own parties, since, according to clause 4 of Art. 22 laws on basic guarantees of electoral rights, parties can appoint only one member of the commission,” he added. At the same time, according to clause 5 of Art. 27 of the same law, only parties represented in the State Duma, regional legislative bodies and municipalities have a quota for seats on the commission, he recalled. In order to join another commission from another party, a “considerable effort” is required, so many experienced people “will find themselves thrown out of the election commission system,” Shukshin fears.

This could lead to a reduction in party members in the PEC composition, agrees State Duma deputy, Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Central Committee Sergei Obukhov. “Now the party in the PEC only has a member of the commission with a casting vote, who does not have “free hands” – he carries out the instructions of the chairman of the commission,” he believes. After the elimination of the institution of a commission member with an advisory vote, the entire concept of the law on basic electoral guarantees changed, in which the key principle was party control over elections. Party influence on the course of elections is decreasing, Obukhov added.

“Changing the boundaries of PECs is a constant and natural process. As the number of settlements decreases, the number of PECs decreases,” Vladimir Kostin, deputy head of the LDPR central apparatus, told Vedomosti. The number of party representatives in the elections will also be reduced: “No PEC means no representative assigned to it, but this will not affect the activities of the LDPR in any way.”

The representative of the press service of “New People” also believes that this will not affect the party’s activities in any way. “On the contrary, when forming a PEC, a smaller number of people will be required, who will have to be involved on an ongoing basis,” he clarified.

Also, fewer observers will be needed directly on the single voting day, since there will be fewer polling stations. This will make it possible to cover a larger percentage of polling stations and more effectively protect the election results, the New People party is confident. “With the reduction in the number of PECs, the number of representatives of all parties in the PECs is reduced,” said a representative of A Just Russia – For Truth. Given the low turnout, it is more logical to reduce not the number of PECs, but the number of voting days, the party believes.

PECs are being reduced to save money: DEGs are being introduced, turnout in most traditional polling stations is small, which is why the number of commissions and, accordingly, their members are being reduced, electoral expert Stanislav Andreychuk explained to Vedomosti. “On the one hand, small PECs are easier to control – it’s easier to count votes there (especially when there are a lot of combined elections). On the other hand, we have almost 100,000 PECs in our country. To control them, you need a huge number of observers (at least 300,000 from each party),” shared Andreychuk.

Also, the reduction of PECs may be influenced by the holding of three-day voting, due to which “the turnout within one day becomes increasingly lower,” added electoral expert Arkady Lyubarev. Another factor is the difficulty in finding people willing to work in the PEC, he believes.

“The number of participants in the DEG is growing every year, the claims of its opponents no longer resonate as much, and with its spread in the regions, there is an understandable temptation to reduce the number of ordinary polling stations,” said political strategist Oleg Zakharov. Using the example of the Moscow DEG, one can predict a further reduction in the “100,000-strong PEC army,” Zakharov suggested. How this mechanism will be launched in other regions is not yet entirely clear, but the prospect of sequestering the number of regular PECs already looks like a trend in the near future, he said.

Reducing the number of PECs is an objective process, since the number of voters is decreasing, says political expert Anton Rudakov. “For example, the Ryazan and Oryol regions have “shrinked” by 15,000–20,000 voters over the past few – including Covid – years,” he explained to Vedomosti.