Online voting participants in the Moscow mayoral elections will be able to win from 1,000 to 5,000 rubles in coupons

The Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) will traditionally hold a Million Prizes campaign for participants in remote electronic voting (DEG) at the mayoral elections in the capital. The head of the chamber, Vladimir Platonov, told Kommersant that this year voters who cast their vote at polling stations or at home using new electronic terminals will also be able to receive prizes. Cars and apartments, unlike in previous years, will not be raffled off: the winners will receive from 1,000 to 5,000 points, which they can spend on shopping, restaurants and charity.

Muscovites, who will elect the mayor with the help of the DEG in the fall, will again have a chance to take part in the Million Prizes campaign. At a press conference on August 4, MCCI President Vladimir Platonov said that businessmen who wished to become partners in the program “see this as an opportunity to attract new customers, increase demand for products, receive additional advertising and, of course, take part in a large-scale socially useful project.”

As Mr. Platonov explained to Kommersant, this year the action will be available not only for those who vote using a phone or computer, but also for citizens who will try out new electronic voting terminals. Recall that thanks to this technical innovation, located at each polling station, the voter’s vote will be immediately sent to the DEG system. Terminals will also be used for home-based voting. At the same time, the traditional form of expression of will with the help of a paper ballot will remain at the polling stations.

The selection of partner companies is still underway, but it is already known that there will be no expensive prizes in the form of apartments and cars this year. Vladimir Platonov specified that the winners will receive coupons ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 points (1 point = 1 ruble) and will be able to exchange them for purchases in stores and restaurants, put them on a Troika card, and donate them to charity. According to the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in 2022, Muscovites most often spent points on replenishing Troika, as well as buying goods for children and medicines in chain stores and pharmacies. Since 2020, citizens have donated more than 150 million reward points to charity.

Recall that the first “Million Prizes” action was held in Moscow in 2020 among the participants in the plebiscite on constitutional amendments, who voted both electronically and at polling stations. More than 2 million citizens took part in the campaign, and almost everyone received prizes: coupons with a face value of 1,000 to 4,000 points could be spent on going to a museum or cafe, replenishing Troika, buying goods or for charity. After that, the action was held at every metropolitan election, but only for the participants of the DEG. The most expensive prizes – cars and “odnushki” in new buildings – were played in the elections to the State Duma in 2021. In total, 250,121 voters received prizes: 100 of them got cars, 21 – apartments, and the rest – points ranging from 10 thousand to 100 thousand. In the municipal elections-2022, apartments were not played, but among the prizes were cars and coupons from 3 thousand up to 10 thousand points. 646,100 people became winners, of which 100 won cars.

Vladimir Platonov explained the absence of expensive prizes in the 2023 mayoral elections by the fact that in this way more people will be able to receive gifts: “Instead of one car, more cash coupons may appear, and more people will be satisfied and interested.”

Political scientist Konstantin Kalachev believes that expensive gifts this year would not look very appropriate: “But the drawing of prizes in itself is a good means of drawing attention to the campaign. Coupons are the optimal form, the person himself will decide how to dispose of them. A thousand coupons are better than one car.” It makes sense to lure people to the polls with apartments and cars when a real problem with turnout is expected, but this time, taking into account the DEG, it promises to be quite high, the expert predicts: “The organization of the action among the DEG participants looks quite logical, given the role this tool now and for the future.”

Political scientist Alexander Asafov notes that the prize fund of the action is formed not by the authorities, but by businesses interested in stimulating consumer demand, which is why there are no cars and real estate this year. “The economic situation has changed. Developers and car dealers do not experience problems with the demand for their products, and the action is aimed specifically at stimulating business,” the expert explains. The emphasis on DEG is also explained by the interests of business, Mr. Asafov is sure: “Practically all participants, including philanthropists, are interested in selling their products in the online segment. This is not about stimulating turnout – it will obviously be higher in mayoral elections than in municipal ones.”

Elena Rozhkova